Styrian complained

Church bells: can ringing make you ill?

The beautiful Maria Freienstein pilgrimage church

(Bild: Pail Sepp)

Five years ago, the Maria Freienstein pilgrimage church was given a new bell. This led to massive health problems for a local resident, which is why he filed a lawsuit at the civil court in Leoben (Styria). An agreement was not reached on Wednesday.

Bells have been used in Christianity for over 1500 years. They are an integral part of church life and are also part of everyday life for many people. But the ringing can apparently pose a health risk. Time and time again, local residents go to court and sue for an injunction.

I'm already stigmatized anyway. They call me a 'migraine idiot' behind my back.

Kläger Helmut T.

Like a roofer from the idyllic village of St. Peter-Freienstein in the Styrian district of Leoben. His home community not only has a magnificent parish church, but also the pilgrimage church of Maria Freienstein, which towers high above the village. For a long time, this was not a problem until the bells were replaced up on the mountain. And the new bell, which weighs several tons, is apparently louder than the three smaller bells before it.

"Migraine-like conditions"
While the old bells are said to have only rung up to ten times a year, they now ring every Saturday from 4.50 p.m. to 5 p.m. and for three minutes every day from 12 noon. Unacceptable for Helmut T. and his wife. "It causes migraine-like conditions," he explains. And that's why the Upper Styrian filed a lawsuit last September, as attempts to reach an agreement with the diocese failed.

This is not the first time a church bell has caused an uproar (symbolic image)

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

 "I'm already stigmatized anyway. They call me the migraine idiot anyway. But if you don't suffer from it, it's easy to talk," he says. "The fact is, there is a massive health impairment due to noise pollution of up to 92 decibels," emphasized lawyer Fiona List-Faymann, even if the measurements were only carried out by the plaintiffs. 

Is it possible to find an amicable solution in the interests of peaceful coexistence?

Frage der Richterin, doch die Fronten sind verhärtet

 "Such a high exposure is not physically possible," Franz Pötzelsberger, chairman of the parish council of St. Peter-Freienstein, questioned the measurement. "I really can't imagine that," emphasized the defendant's lawyer, David Stocker-Schellander. 

Settlement a long way off
The fronts are therefore quite hardened and a settlement is obviously a long way off. The defendant's proposal to stop ringing on Saturdays was not enough for the plaintiff, "even if it is a big step in the right direction", said lawyer Fiona List-Faymann.

The plaintiff's demand to take additional structural measures to curb the noise was again rejected by the defendants. David Stocker-Schellander said that this would not be possible due to the protection of historical monuments. The judge's attempt to "find an amicable solution in the spirit of peaceful coexistence" therefore failed after less than an hour.

The next step is for an expert to have his say. "He is to clarify whether the immission can lead to a health impairment in the average person," explained the judge. "Subjective noise sensitivities cannot be taken into account," she said. The plaintiff and defendant each have to advance 2,000 euros for this. Once the result has been determined, negotiations will continue.