Franciscan Church, Graz Franciscan Church, Graz The Franciscan Church () and Franciscan Monastery () are a church and associated monastery in the centre of the city of Graz, Austria. The monastery was founded by the Franciscan order, who still own it, and is first mentioned in 1239. In the church, a high but narrow 14th-century chancel contrasts with the comparatively low and wide nave. The chancel was gutted by a bomb in World War II, and subsequently rebuilt with a new contemporary interior. The stained glass windows bathe the church in light, whilst the chancel is dominated by a grey cast iron crucifix
Graz it remains influential to this day. In 1999, Graz was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, and the site was extended in 2010 with Eggenberg Palace (German: Schloss Eggenberg). Graz was the sole Cultural Capital of Europe of 2003 and became a City of Culinary Delights in 2008. The name of the city, Graz, formerly spelled Gratz, most likely stems from the Slavic "gradec", "small castle". Some archaeological finds point to the erection of a small castle by Alpine Slavic people, which over time became a heavily defended fortification. In literary Slovene, "gradec" still means "small castle",