Saint Giles Church

The parish church of St Ägydius stands in the market town of Semriach in the hills north of Graz. Begun in the early 16th century on the site of a twelfth-century predecessor, it is a late-Gothic hall church with a long nave and a polygonal choir. The tower with its pyramid roof was added at the same time as the choir, and its 1648 bell still rings today. Inside, the four-bay nave has octagonal piers and star-ribbed vaults, while the three-bay choir carries a net-ribbed ceiling. The keystones bear the arms of past patrons, including Leonhard von Keutschach and Conrad Jagerhofer. The high altar, designed by Hans Pascher and carved by Peter Neuböck, was consecrated in 1896, and the pulpit of 1898 is by the same pair. Side altars, statues and the 1742 organ case all show the work of Philipp Jakob Straub and his workshop. Visitors walk past the Roman stones set into the outer walls and enter through the stepped west portal. Inside, the Gothic west gallery was rebuilt in 1730, and the ribs of the old vaults remain visible. The neogothic high altar dominates the sanctuary, while the side altars and the figure of St Ägydius recall earlier centuries. The churchyard once surrounded the building until 1912, and the quiet square beyond still frames the late-Gothic silhouette of tower and nave.