Erlöserkirche, Graz

The Erlöserkirche stands in Graz-St. Leonhard, inside the LKH-Universitätsklinikum. It replaced the old Antoniuskirche as the hospital’s church when the new building opened. Designed by Karl Hupfer and Franz Gabrič in the Jugendstil, it was meant to be neogothic but drew inspiration from Otto Wagner’s church at Steinhof. Construction began in 1909 and the church was consecrated in 1912 by Fürstbischof Leopold Schuster on the same day the hospital was blessed. In 1919 it became a parish church with Matthäus Winter as its first priest. The interior features an altar painting by Alfred von Schrötter and fourteen Stations of the Cross plus a Madonna copied from Donatello. A new marble altar was installed in 1982. The church also housed the Dominicans’ hospital chaplaincy until 2013. Architectural historian Friedrich Achleitner has noted that, despite being built later, the Erlöserkirche still shows traces of Historismus and resembles a forerunner of the Steinhofkirche. Visitors enter through the hospital grounds and find a bright, orderly nave with Jugendstil detailing. The altar and Stations of the Cross dominate the space, while the Madonna copy draws attention for its Italian style. The church remains part of the daily life of patients and staff, offering a calm place within the busy hospital.