Graz Cathedral

Welcome to the historic center of Graz, a city celebrated as one of the best-preserved old towns in all of Austria. As we stand in this quiet, dignified square, we are surrounded by the architectural echoes of an era when Graz…

Approach the southern facade of the cathedral. Protected behind a glass wall, you will find the most important surviving exterior artwork in Graz: the 'Gottesplagenbild', or the God’s Plagues fresco. …

Let us now move through the main portals and enter the cathedral nave. As you cross the threshold, the sheer volume of the space commands your attention. …

As we approach the chancel at the eastern end of the nave, the full force of the Jesuit renovation becomes apparent. Before you stands the magnificent High Altar, a soaring, multi-tiered masterpiece of Baroque theatricality. …

Positioned carefully on either side of the entrance to the chancel, you will find two of the cathedral's most unusual and precious artifacts. Approach these exquisite wooden containers. …

Turn around and look high above the main entrance to the western gallery, where the impressive cathedral organ is situated. A church of this magnitude demands an instrument capable of filling its vast acoustic volume, and the…

Our final stop requires us to step back outside the cathedral and look immediately to the adjacent building. Right next to the cathedral stands a spectacular, dome-crowned structure from the seventeenth century. …

As we conclude our tour of the Graz Cathedral and its immediate surroundings, take a final look at the quiet dignity of the square. We have traversed centuries of history, from the terrifying, apocalyptic days of 1480 captured in…