Stone Witnesses of Centuries of Christianity
4000 CHURCHES IN AUSTRIA
Stone Witnesses of Centuries of Christianity
When Christianity arose 2000 years ago, the first Christians met in their houses. Over the centuries, assembly rooms, church buildings, developed. They are diverse: big, small, grand, sober, ancient or modern.
Parishes are the smallest organizational units in Christian religious life. The Austrian Catholic church consists of 3000 parishes. In addition, there are more than 200 Protestant and Orthodox parishes and communities. Each parish has its own church; some of them have even more than just one.
All together there are more than 4000 churches in Austria. Most of the time, they are among the oldest and most beautiful buildings in a village and protected by federal monument conservation. For centuries, they have shaped townscapes. Even people not taking part in religious life consider the churches an integral part of their homeland and are eager to preserve and maintain them.
The tower (“steeple”), which serves mostly also to announce the time, is visible from far. Inside, the church bells strike the hours and call the faithful to pray in the mornings, at noon and in the evenings. They ring whenever there is a celebration in the church and when someone is buried. Around the church, especially in the countryside, there is usually a cemetery. People decorate the graves with flowers as a sign of hope for a life with God after death. Christians pray for their beloved departed ones there. Next to the church there is a house (“vicarage”), which is sometimes also the parish priest’s place of residence. In the vicarage, members of the parish gather after the church service or prepare for special celebrations and meetings. The vicarage furthermore comprises an office from where the parish is organized and where the parish priest offers regular
consultation hours.
Austria also has very large churches. The church of a bishop ("cathedral") is normally especially grand. The churches of large monasteries ("abbeys") are among the most important buildings in Austria. Monasteries are places dedicated to prayer and the worship of God, as well as places of learning and culture. They are inhabited by religious orders who often run their schools, hospitals, libraries or run their own businesses, run by religious orders. Orders are communities of unmarried men or women who serve God and the people.
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