St. Johannes

St John’s Church stands in Gries, the fifth district of Graz, beside a post-war housing estate built in the 1930s. The building and its parish centre are officially listed monuments. A single illuminated cross marks the church on the outside, hinting at its purpose after dark. The architect Hermann Worschitz designed the church in 1976 as a plain concrete cube, its square floor plan held up by cross-shaped supports. Inside, the ambo and tabernacle are made of stainless steel, and a crucifix by the Styrian artist Alexander Silveri hangs on the wall. In 1992 coloured side windows by Adolf and Heide Osterider were added, and the adjacent baptistery was decorated by the same couple. A bronze statue of John the Baptist, also by Erwin Huber, is fixed to the street-side wall. The interior is calm and orderly, with the baptistery’s basin shaped by Huber’s hand. The glass and metal surfaces catch the light from the side windows, giving the space a quiet glow. Outside, the bronze figure of John the Baptist faces the street, completing the ensemble of modern art and worship.