Episcopal Ordinariate
ResidenceGraz-Innere Stadt
Episcopal Palace
The Episcopal Palace, also known as the Bishop's Court and Prince-Bishop's Palace, today houses the Episcopal Ordinariate of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau. It is located on Bischofplatz in the first district of Graz, Innere Stadt.
The palace's foundation dates back to a house donation in 1254 by Ottokar von Graz, from the House of Udalrichinger, who handed over his house to Bishop Ulrich of Seckau. At this time, the building was still outside the city wall and was only incorporated into it in 1265/67. In 1272, Bishop Wernhard von Marsbach bought another building. His successor, Bishop Leopold, had the house chapel dedicated to John the Baptist in 1287 (today it bears the patronage of the Most Holy Trinity). Extensive expansion work was carried out between 1481 and 1502. In 1613, a library was added at the instigation of Bishop Martin Brenner. Since the bishop had his official seat in the collegiate church of Seckau in Upper Styria, the Prince-Bishop's Palace in Graz served as an accommodation in the Styrian capital.
The expansion to its current size was only undertaken after the relocation of the episcopal residence from Seggau Castle to Graz. After the regulation of the dioceses by Emperor Joseph II, the palace was finally elevated to the prince-bishop's residence of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau. The existing building fabric was only unified under Prince-Bishop Joseph Adam von Arco at the beginning of the 19th century. During this time, a new chapel was built on the first floor, a new facade was commissioned, and the portal was designed with a coat of arms cartouche. The plans of master builder Joseph Stengg were continued by Christoph Stadler after Stengg's death in 1782. In 1860/61, Prince-Bishop Ottokar Maria Graf von Attems commissioned the architect Joseph Mixner with a redesign of the west wing in the Historicist style.
In 1902/03, the south wing was rebuilt under the direction of Johann Guido Wolf. In 1927, a chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity was established in the south wing. On November 1, 1944, the Episcopal Palace was severely damaged, especially in the south wing, by a direct bomb hit. The portal, created in 1782 by Johannes Piringer, was completely destroyed. The reconstruction lasted from 1947 to 1950 and was carried out according to the plans of architects Harald Bleich and Franz Ignaz Gallowitsch. The portal was restored in a greatly simplified form. At the beginning of the 1960s, an additional floor was added to the Episcopal Palace. Currently, the Episcopal Ordinariate is housed in the premises.
Architecture and Design+
The Bishop's Court in its entirety is the sum of various stylistic epochs. Its oldest part, the east wing with the vaults in the basement and ground floor, dates from the second half of the 13th century. Around the turn of the 15th to the 16th century, the north wing was erected. The late Gothic stone door frames bear witness to this today. The ballroom on the second floor is adorned with ceiling frescoes from the 19th century. The depictions of Saint Mary and Saint Benedict were probably created by Franz Anton Stecher.
In the 13th century, an expansion took place under Bishop Leopold, and around 1454, a renovation and new construction of the Bishop's Court. During this time, the dining hall was converted into a house chapel. Prince-Bishop Count Joseph Adam von Arco had the building extended around 1781 according to the plans of Joseph Stengg. In 1861, the west wing was built under the architect Joseph Mixner, and in 1903, the south wing followed under the direction of Johann Guido Wolf.
During World War II, the complex was severely damaged by bomb hits. Among other things, this led to the destruction of the Josephinist-Classical portal, which was adorned with the bishopric's coat of arms. However, the vibrations from the bomb hits also uncovered previously hidden wall paintings from around 1270 on the first floor. They show figural representations from the Old and New Testaments in the Romantic Zigzag style. These are the oldest preserved wall paintings in the city of Graz.
From 1947 to 1950, the Episcopal Palace was rebuilt according to the plans of architects Bleich and Gallowitsch, with a unification of the facade, the portal with passage to the inner courtyard, and the entire south wing. The neo-Baroque wrought-iron railings of the reconstructed staircase could be reused.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bisch%C3%B6fliches_Palais_Graz.jpg
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 47.0701, 15.4421