Filialkirche Hl. Sebastian, Söding-Sankt Johann

About

The Church of Kleinsöding, often simply called Sebastianikirche, is a Roman Catholic filial and pilgrimage church in the Austrian village of Kleinsöding in western Styria, which belongs to the municipality of Söding-Sankt Johann. The church, consecrated in honor of St. Sebastian, belongs to the pastoral area of Voitsberg in the diocese of Graz-Seckau and is subordinate to the parish of Mooskirchen. As a pilgrimage church, it only plays a local role for Kleinsöding and the surrounding villages. Its history dates back to the beginning of the 16th century, when it was built as a plague sanctuary. The origins of the church are closely linked to the outbreaks of plague in the 15th century, which almost completely depopulated parts of the surrounding area. Surviving farmers swore an oath to pay the so-called Kühzins over the course of their lives. They promised to donate the equivalent value of a cow. The money raised in this way financed the building of the church. Due to renewed plague epidemics in the 17th century, the church developed into the most important plague sanctuary in western Styria. In the second half of the 17th century, a sacristy and the Chapel of the Cross were added and...

The church is located in the eastern part of the municipality of Söding-Sankt Johann on a small hill, also known as the Kirchenriegel, centrally in the settlement of Sankt Sebastian around 700 meters west of the village of Kleinsöding. It is located at an altitude of around 350 meters above sea level, on the northern bank of the Kainach in the middle Kainach valley, also known as Kainachboden. Packer Straße (B 70) runs about 50 meters north of the church. About 600 meters to the west is the feeder road to the Mooskirchen exit of the southern freeway (A2). The church is located on a path branching off Packer Straße to the south-east and, like the former sacristan's house directly to the north-west, has the address Kirchenweg 1.

On the church forecourt is the war memorial of the communities of Groß- and Kleinsöding, which commemorates the fallen and missing of both world wars.

There was probably already a cult mound on the site of today's church in ancient times, and there is a legend of a pagan temple there. Later, plague victims are said to have been buried on this mound. Although local residents have reported finding bones, no archaeological evidence of a temple or plague grave has yet been found. From the 12th century at the latest, the inhabitants of the Kleinsöding area received pastoral care from the parish of Mooskirchen, which was first mentioned in documents in 1136. When the plague struck what is now the district of Voitsberg in 1348, the villages of Hardekk and Mukkaw near Muggauberg and the Reun village of Sedinge near Södingberg were completely depopulated. When the disease struck Western Styria again around 1480 and decimated the population, 135 of the surviving farmers in the area swore to donate the value of a cow during their lifetime for the construction of a church consecrated in honor of the so-called plague saint Sebastian. This donation is known as the Kühzins and the farmers donated every year until the equivalent of a cow had been paid. If the donation target was not reached during their lifetime, it was inherited and the descendants were obliged to fulfill it. The money raised in this way was enough to build a larger church near Kleinsöding.

Before the new church was built, a Romanesque hunting chapel belonging to the lords of Söding Castle is said to have stood on its later site. This had to make way for the new building. According to the clerical staff of the diocese of Seckau, the church was built in 1508, commissioned by Sebastian von Rollau. However, this assumption probably only refers to the construction of the choir, which was used as a chapel until the church was completed. This chapel already contained a sandstone statue of St. Sebastian. It is said that it was erected by monks who had been expelled from San Sebastian in Spain and had come to the Riedlhof or Riederhof near Berndorf. In the years that followed, the number of pilgrims increased steadily. The money thus raised was used to finance the construction of the nave attached to the choir with a flat wooden ceiling by 1562 and the construction of the church tower by 1564. The construction of the nave is indicated by a stone on the archway of the tower portal bearing the date and mark of the builder. The founders of the church may also have included the residents of Rollau Castle, as the church served as their burial place.

Plague outbreaks that struck the Kainach Valley in 1584/85 and the Voitsberg district in 1634, 1679/80 and from 1713 to 1716 resulted in more and more pilgrims making the pilgrimage to the church. In the 17th century, the pilgrimages reached their heyday and St. Sebastian's Church developed into the most important plague sanctuary in western Styria. Around 1630, the high altar of the church was erected and the statue of Sebastian, which was already in the church, was placed on it as an altarpiece. From 1665 onwards, the Keller von Kellersperg family, who lived at Groß-Söding Castle, made an appearance as benefactors of the church. In 1676, the late Gothic building was baroqueized, the previously flat-roofed nave was vaulted and a gallery was built. The sacristy and the cross chapel on the outside of the choir, which is accessible from the outside, were also created during the remodeling. In 1694, M. Simon Schoper was the only one of the Mooskirchen priests to be buried in the church under the front arch, next to the life-size figure of St. Sebastian, presumably donated by him, in accordance with his will.

From 1711 to 1880, an interest register was kept on the payment of the Kühzins, which suggests that descendants of the original benefactors were still donating to the preservation of the church. At the beginning of the 18th century, people from twelve different parishes were listed as donors. In 1799, the dean of Mooskirchen, Alois Wagl, wrote a multi-volume parish chronicle in which he also described the church's interior at the time.

Around 1800, the altarpiece of the high altar, the statue of Sebastian, was replaced by a figure of St. Anne. To protect the figures on the high altar during the Fifth Coalition War, they were enclosed in a wooden crate in 1809. The French, under the command of Marshal Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, used the church as a magazine between June 25 and December 15, 1809. A regiment of Uhlans, which settled in the area from July 27 to August 14, 1813, also misused the church as a warehouse. When the parish church in Ligist was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century, some of the church inventory there, such as the two figures at the side of the high altar, were moved to Kleinsöding. The tabernacle also came to Kleinsöding, but proved to be too large for the high altar and was therefore placed in the gallery.

In the period after the creation of the free local parish of Kleinsöding in 1850, the Sebastianikirche became the property of the parish through a settlement with the parish priest of Mooskirchen. However, the parish priest retained the right of supervision over the church and it remained under the control of the local parish. The parish kept its own church accounts with the help of the church provosts. On April 14, 1874, a lightning strike caused the roof truss of the church tower to burn and the organ was also damaged by the fire. However, the fire was quickly extinguished by the local population, so that no major damage was caused. In 1876/77, the choir and nave were repainted, with the earlier thorn and grape decorations and the sundial on the south side of the nave being whitewashed over. During a renovation in 1890, a fresco of St. Sebastian on the southern outer wall of the nave was also painted over. As part of this renovation, old windows from the Franciscan church in Graz were donated. A tower clock was installed in the 1880s.

Under chaplain Josef Radl, who worked in Mooskirchen from 1921 to 1925, the church was extensively renovated from 1924 to 1926, which he partly paid for himself. He also wrote a history of the church until 1925, which is known as the Radl Chronicle.

When the municipalities of Kleinsöding and Großsöding merged to form the municipality of Söding in 1958, the church became the property of the new municipality. Extensive repair and renovation work was carried out in the following decades. The left side altar was restored in 1961 and the right side altar in 1978, the façade was renewed in 1970/71 and the interior and parts of the furnishings were renovated from 1978 to 1983. In 1979, the inhabitants of Söding founded the St. Sebastian church community as a non-profit association for the preservation of the church. Restoration work was carried out on the high altar in 1991/92. In 1998 and 1999, further major renovation work was carried out on the building fabric and the church inventory.

Since the Styrian municipal reform in 2015, the church has belonged to the municipality of Söding-Sankt Johann. As the weather repeatedly caused damage to the roof tiles and the repair work proved to be increasingly cost-intensive, the local council decided to re-roof the church in March 2019 after consultation with the Federal Monuments Office. The municipality itself raised the majority of the funds, with the remaining amount being provided by the St. Sebastian church community, the parish of Mooskirchen and the Federal Monuments Office. Work began back in April 2019, during the course of which it became apparent that the roof truss of the Kreuzkapelle chapel was in danger of collapsing and therefore also needed to be replaced. As part of the roofing work, the plaster on the exterior walls was consolidated with a primer made of sintered water and then re-colored with milk of lime and a colored shadow coating. According to restoration findings, this coloring corresponds to an earlier one. The war memorial in front of the church was also restored.

There was probably already a cult mound on the site of today's church in ancient times, and there is a legend of a pagan temple there. Later, plague victims are said to have been buried on this mound. Although local residents have reported finding bones, no archaeological evidence of a temple or plague grave has yet been found. From the 12th century at the latest, the inhabitants of the Kleinsöding area received pastoral care from the parish of Mooskirchen, which was first mentioned in documents in 1136. When the plague struck what is now the district of Voitsberg in 1348, the villages of Hardekk and Mukkaw near Muggauberg and the Reun village of Sedinge near Södingberg were completely depopulated. When the disease struck Western Styria again around 1480 and decimated the population, 135 of the surviving farmers in the area swore to donate the value of a cow during their lifetime for the construction of a church consecrated in honor of the so-called plague saint Sebastian. This donation is known as the Kühzins and the farmers donated every year until the equivalent of a cow had been paid. If the donation target was not reached during their lifetime, it was inherited and the descendants were obliged to fulfill it. The money raised in this way was enough to build a larger church near Kleinsöding.

Before the new church was built, a Romanesque hunting chapel belonging to the lords of Söding Castle is said to have stood on its later site. This had to make way for the new building. According to the clerical staff of the diocese of Seckau, the church was built in 1508, commissioned by Sebastian von Rollau. However, this assumption probably only refers to the construction of the choir, which was used as a chapel until the church was completed. This chapel already contained a sandstone statue of St. Sebastian. It is said that it was erected by monks who had been expelled from San Sebastian in Spain and had come to the Riedlhof or Riederhof near Berndorf. In the years that followed, the number of pilgrims increased steadily. The money thus raised was used to finance the construction of the nave attached to the choir with a flat wooden ceiling by 1562 and the construction of the church tower by 1564. The construction of the nave is indicated by a stone on the archway of the tower portal bearing the date and mark of the builder. The founders of the church may also have included the residents of Rollau Castle, as the church served as their burial place.

Plague outbreaks that struck the Kainach Valley in 1584/85 and the Voitsberg district in 1634, 1679/80 and from 1713 to 1716 resulted in more and more pilgrims making the pilgrimage to the church. In the 17th century, the pilgrimages reached their heyday and St. Sebastian's Church developed into the most important plague sanctuary in western Styria. Around 1630, the high altar of the church was erected and the statue of Sebastian, which was already in the church, was placed on it as an altarpiece. From 1665 onwards, the Keller von Kellersperg family, who lived at Groß-Söding Castle, made an appearance as benefactors of the church. In 1676, the late Gothic building was baroqueized, the previously flat-roofed nave was vaulted and a gallery was built. The sacristy and the cross chapel on the outside of the choir, which is accessible from the outside, were also created during the remodeling. In 1694, M. Simon Schoper was the only one of the Mooskirchen priests to be buried in the church under the front arch, next to the life-size figure of St. Sebastian, presumably donated by him, in accordance with his will.

From 1711 to 1880, an interest register was kept on the payment of the Kühzins, which suggests that descendants of the original benefactors were still donating to the preservation of the church. At the beginning of the 18th century, people from twelve different parishes were listed as donors. In 1799, the dean of Mooskirchen, Alois Wagl, wrote a multi-volume parish chronicle in which he also described the church's interior at the time.

Around 1800, the altarpiece of the high altar, the statue of Sebastian, was replaced by a figure of St. Anne. To protect the figures on the high altar during the Fifth Coalition War, they were enclosed in a wooden crate in 1809. The French, under the command of Marshal Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, used the church as a magazine between June 25 and December 15, 1809. A regiment of Uhlans, which settled in the area from July 27 to August 14, 1813, also misused the church as a warehouse. When the parish church in Ligist was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century, some of the church inventory there, such as the two figures at the side of the high altar, were moved to Kleinsöding. The tabernacle also came to Kleinsöding, but proved to be too large for the high altar and was therefore placed in the gallery.

In the period after the creation of the free local parish of Kleinsöding in 1850, the Sebastianikirche became the property of the parish through a settlement with the parish priest of Mooskirchen. However, the parish priest retained the right of supervision over the church and it remained under the control of the local parish. The parish kept its own church accounts with the help of the church provosts. On April 14, 1874, a lightning strike caused the roof truss of the church tower to burn and the organ was also damaged by the fire. However, the fire was quickly extinguished by the local population, so that no major damage was caused. In 1876/77, the choir and nave were repainted, with the earlier thorn and grape decorations and the sundial on the south side of the nave being whitewashed over. During a renovation in 1890, a fresco of St. Sebastian on the southern outer wall of the nave was also painted over. As part of this renovation, old windows from the Franciscan church in Graz were donated. A tower clock was installed in the 1880s.

Under chaplain Josef Radl, who worked in Mooskirchen from 1921 to 1925, the church was extensively renovated from 1924 to 1926, which he partly paid for himself. He also wrote a history of the church until 1925, which is known as the Radl Chronicle.

When the municipalities of Kleinsöding and Großsöding merged to form the municipality of Söding in 1958, the church became the property of the new municipality. Extensive repair and renovation work was carried out in the following decades. The left side altar was restored in 1961 and the right side altar in 1978, the façade was renewed in 1970/71 and the interior and parts of the furnishings were renovated from 1978 to 1983. In 1979, the inhabitants of Söding founded the St. Sebastian church community as a non-profit association for the preservation of the church. Restoration work was carried out on the high altar in 1991/92. In 1998 and 1999, further major renovation work was carried out on the building fabric and the church inventory.