Geteilte Kirche am Kreuzbichl | Richtung Eisentratten

At the so-called "Kreuzbichl", the medieval town of Gmünd in the Carinthian Oberland offers a unique curiosity: a two-part church through which a busy road runs! On one side of the road is the altar area and on the other side the faithful sit in a two-story "nave". The church also has a small turret with a bell that is rung during masses. Both parts are covered with wooden shingles and open towards the road so that the faithful can see the priest. However, if a tractor or car drives through the church during the service, the priest must briefly interrupt. The inscription above the altar building, a "chronogram" (text with a "hidden" year), is written with various large letters. DVRCH SEIN BLVT SIND WIR GERECHTFERTIGT WORDEN The large letters are also Roman numerals, which add up to the year 1784. I = 1, V = 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500, W = V+V, M = 1000. The altarpiece shows the sorrowful Mother Mary with the body of Christ taken down. Originally a fresco in the style of the master of the Roman school Orciel dela Volterra, it was repainted in oil in 1861 by the local painter and sculptor Josef Messner from Rennweg. In 1944, the painting was in such poor condition that it could no longer be restored. The academic painter Veiter from Klagenfurt repainted it in 1944. It therefore also bears his signature. From the original "Kreuz am Bichl" (documented in 1588) on the trade route from southern Germany via Salzburg to Venice, which has been heavily frequented since the Middle Ages, a small chapel developed over time, which received its current appearance in 1784. Presumably in 1824, the space for the faithful was built and consecrated. Services are only celebrated during the Rogation Days and on Whit Monday. Unfortunately, the reason why the church was built has not been handed down. It is assumed that delinquents on their way to the "Galgenbichl", Gmünd's execution site, stopped here to ask God for forgiveness of their sins with a last prayer. Another possibility would be that the merchants who safely crossed the mountains with their goods expressed their gratitude at this place in the form of prayers. The simplest explanation, however, would be that for the faithful who participated in processions and were tired of standing during the service, the building on the other side of the street was built into the hillside. This also protected them from wind and weather. In any case, there are no limits to the imagination. The divided church can be visited from the outside at any time!