Parish Church and Romanesque Ossuary Hartberg

The Parish Church of Hartberg is dedicated to Saint Martin and was first mentioned in 1157. Its foundations are even older: they rest on the remains of a Roman structure from around 200 a.m. The wall remains, especially the uncovering of the floor plan of a Roman villa complex with hypocaust heating beneath the parish church in 1973, indicate a Roman settlement in the urban area. Likewise, tombstones on the church wall point to Roman colonization. The church tower was originally a Romanesque defensive tower to which the church was later added. Its late Baroque tower helmet is among the most beautiful in the country.

In the parish church, different styles come together in a harmonious whole: the Romans in the foundation, the Romanesque in the tower, the Gothic with the beautiful star ribbed vault beneath the roof, and Baroque in the interior. When a devastating fire broke out in Hartberg in 1715, destroying many houses and severely damaging the church, a decision was made in 1751 to renovate: among other things, the Romanesque lateral aisles were demolished and rebuilt, and the Romanesque defensive tower was converted into the Baroque church tower - today it carries one of the most beautiful tower helmets in Styria. The Gothic cross in the altar area and the interior were also Baroque-ized.

The Romanesque Charnel House is one of the most significant art historical relics of the architecture of the "Staufer period" in present-day Austria. Here, Late Romanesque meets delicate Early Gothic.

Live services from the parish church on the internet: www.igod.at

Information about tours can be found on the website of the Hartberg City Museum.