Evangelische Kirche in Weißbriach

The Evangelische Pfarrkirche stands on a hill at the eastern edge of Weißbriach in the Gailtaler Alps. Built in the late 19th century, it replaced an earlier prayer house from 1783, the first of its kind in Kärnten. The congregation traces its roots to the 16th century, when most local miners became Lutheran after the Reformation. Because the Gitschtal lay beyond Bishop Martin Brenner’s forced resettlement campaign, many kept their faith in secret for generations. Only after Emperor Joseph II’s Tolerance Patent did nearly ninety per cent openly declare themselves Protestant. The present neogothic church was designed by Johann Steinwender and built by Giovanni Colombo between 1882 and 1886. Inside, Carl Zunder and Theophil Frey created the carved altar and pulpit showing Christ’s Ascension, painted by Alfred Diethe before 1887. A wooden gallery spans one bay, and three inscribed banners hang above the chancel arch. The organ dates from 1996, replacing earlier instruments. An exterior restoration in 1982–83 preserved the tower and plain façade. Visitors enter through the west tower into a four-bay nave leading to a single-bay choir with a three-sided apse. The unadorned walls focus attention on the richly carved furnishings and the painted altarpiece. Outside, the hilltop site offers views across the valley and toward the surrounding peaks. The nearby 18th-century parish house and 19th-century schoolhouse recall the community’s long struggle for religious freedom.