Fundraising

How a beer can save the roof of a church

Provost Clemens Grill with Werner Hilber in the Minorite Church(Bild: Jürgen Radspieler)

280,000 euros are needed to renovate the Minorite Church in Bruck an der Mur - rain and pigeons are coming through the roof. A special beer is to bring in many donations.

Inconspicuous from the outside, full of once hidden treasures on the inside: The Minorite Church in Bruck/Mur was closed for a long time and was only used as a passageway. Around 700,000 euros have already been raised over the past 25 years to make the "structural, cultural and spiritual jewel" presentable again, says Provost Clemens Grill.

Werner Hilber played a leading role in this: "The church houses an almost 40 square meter fresco from the 13th century, which is unparalleled in Austria, and the tomb of the minstrel and governor Hugo von Montfort from 1423."

Broken roof endangers treasures
All of this is in danger because the roof of the church is leaking. "The entire attic is full of tiles and we have an extreme pigeon infestation," says Hilber. 1100 square meters of roof need to be re-roofed, which also requires 7000 running meters of wood. Total costs: around 280,000 euros.

In addition to the Federal Monuments Office, the money is to be raised through donations. Grill had a special idea for this: "We're not all there anymore" is written on a specially designed beer bottle from Miaztoi Bräu, which will be officially presented on March 19, St. Joseph's Day, at a mass at 6 pm. A six-pack can be purchased from the parish office for 20 euros.