parish church Sinabelkirchen

The Roman Catholic parish church of Sinabelkirchen stands in the market town of Sinabelkirchen in Styria. It is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew and belongs to the deanery of Gleisdorf in the diocese of Graz-Seckau. The building is protected as a monument. The church was first mentioned in records in 1351. A Gothic core was replaced in 1690 by a new structure. In the second quarter of the 18th century the church was vaulted and enlarged, and in 1729 it became a parish church. A comprehensive restoration took place in 1969–70. The three-bay nave has ribbed vaulting on pilasters with stepped cornices. The Gothic gallery retains its ribbed vault, which was plastered during the 1690 rebuilding. Around the middle of the 18th century a large organ gallery with a plastered balustrade was added. In 1745 the Patrick chapel was built on the south side of the third bay, with a shallow-arched closure. The stained glass dates from 1898. The slightly raised choir ends in a shallow arch. On the north side a late-Gothic doorway leads to the sacristy. The west front is plain, its lower part and pointed portal in 14th-century Gothic style, while the Baroque tower has an onion dome. In front of the church stands a Baroque chapel from the late 17th century, decorated with sombre frescoes by Johann Scheucher.