Religious Statues Deliberately Damaged At Church in Deutschlandsberg
At the Parish Church of St Oswald in Deutschlandsberg, historic religious statues were found deliberately destroyed by unknown vandals. The vandalism caused extensive damage to religious heritage dating back around 200 years and deeply affected the local Christian community. The attack follows previous acts of vandalism targeting the church, including the insult "Shitty Church" carved into an interior wall of the church.
In the night from 15-16 July 2026, at the Parish Church of St Oswald in Deutschlandsberg, historic wooden Christian statues were found destroyed in a deliberate act of vandalism. According to the reports, unknown perpetrators entered the church and destroyed several approximately 200-year-old representations of the saints. Due to the presence of fingerprints, the figures are believed to have been knocked from their pedestals and smashed. The parish described the destruction as a shock and appealed for information that could help to identify those responsible.
The vandalism caused significant material damage estimated at several thousand euros. Pastor István Holló expressed his deep distress over the incident since the religious objects were of great devotional value and stated that the church had previously been targeted by acts of vandalism. In an earlier incident, the words "Scheiß Kirche" ("Shitty Church") were carved into an interior wall of the church. The parish had also experienced an attempted break-in at the parish office.
Commenting on the latest attack, Fr Holló welcomed the public attention given to the case, stating: "It must be made public that these kinds of actions also happen in Austria." He added that the motives for such attacks could vary and might include hatred towards the Church and the Christian faith.
Police have opened an investigation and are appealing to witnesses to help identify the perpetrators.
Sources: kronenzeitung, 5min, exxpress
Images: Fr. Istvan Hollo (Facebook)