Pfarrkirche St. Bartholomäus, Friesach, Medieval parish church in Friesach, Austria
Pfarrkirche St. Bartholomäus is a medieval parish church featuring two towers at the western end and a basilica-style floor plan that organizes the worship space. Rounded arches support the interior columns, creating distinct sections that guide visitors through the building's layout.
The church first appeared in written records in 1187, establishing its place among the region's early stone buildings. The distinctive long choir was added during the early 1300s and remains a defining feature of the interior today.
The choir windows hold medieval stained glass: the north window shows the Wise and Foolish Virgins, made around 1270–1280 and moved here in 1838 from the Dominican church; the south window shows scenes from the life of Christ, made around 1325–1338. A coat of arms donated in 1565 by Archbishop Johann Jakob von Khuen-Belasy fills the first south aisle window.
The church stands north of the main square at the foot of the Petersberg, with the massive double-tower west front facing the town. Entry is through the stepped west portal; the raised choir lies to the east, beyond the nave. Visitors should note that the side aisles were heightened in the 17th century, so their windows sit in two storeys and the nave clerestory is blocked from inside.
On a pillar north of the church is a Roman-era relief slab showing the goddess Minerva, built into the later structure. The churchyard around the building was closed in 1785, and its Romanesque charnel house (Karner) was demolished in 1845.
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