Pfarrkirche St. Bartholomäus

Pfarrkirche St. Bartholomäus stands in the village of Sankt Bartholomä in western Styria. It occupies a small hill between two streams, the Bartholomäerbach to the north and the Kaltenbach to the south. The hill is part of a ridge running from the Fuchskogel to the Kreuzegg, about 500 metres above sea level. The church replaced an older parish church that still stands 200 metres to the north. Built in the 1860s, it is the first neo-Gothic church in the region.

The building owes its existence to local people who raised most of the money and supplied materials. The design came from the Stift Rein, and the work was supervised by the parish priest Hermann Pferschy. The Seckau bishop Ottokar Maria von Attems laid the foundation stone in 1864. Carl Eichinger, a Graz master builder, completed the walls and roof by 1865. The tower cross was blessed and raised the same year, and the bells were hung in 1867. The church was consecrated on 17 November 1867.

The neo-Gothic nave is simple and bright, with a tall tower rising at the southwest end. The tower has a steep spire and a clock face on each side. Inside, the altars and organ date from the 1860s. Josef Kainz of Graz carved the woodwork, and Jakob Gschiel made almost all the statues of saints. The whole church is protected as a historic monument.