Carinthia, Austria, Catholic Church Registers, 1614-1940

Kärnten, Österreich, katholische Kirchenbücher 1614-1940

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Carinthia, Austria, Catholic Church Registers, 1614-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019.
Original data: Archiv der Diözese Gurk-Klagenfurt. Katholische Kirchenbücher. Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Österreich.

About Carinthia, Austria, Catholic Church Registers, 1614-1940

About the Carinthia, Austria, Catholic Church Registers, 1614-1940

General collection information

This collection contains Catholic Church records from Carinthia, Austria between 1614 and 1940. Records included in this collection cover many types of church events, such as baptisms, confirmations, marriages, lists of families in the parish, and burials. Records in this collection may be written in Latin or German. Most of the records in this collection are handwritten in ledgers, but newer or transcribed records may be typed.

Using this collection

Birth records may contain the following:

  • Name
  • Birth date and place
  • Baptism date
  • Parents' names
  • Parents' residence
  • Witnesses' names

    • Marriage records may contain the following:

  • Name
  • Residence
  • Spouse's name
  • Wedding date and place
  • Age at marriage
  • Parents' names
  • Birth date and place

    • Death records may contain the following:

  • Name
  • Spouse's name
  • Parents' names
  • Death date and place
  • Burial date and place
  • Age

    • Because there are many different types of records in this collection, you may find multiple records for your ancestor. For example, you could find a baptismal record, confirmation record, and a marriage record for the same person. You may also find your ancestor mentioned in records concerning their spouse, children, or parents.

    Most baptisms occur shortly after birth, but some parishioners may have been baptized as adults if they converted to Catholicism.

    Knowing some common Latin phrases will help you to explore these records

  • Nomen is Latin for "name."
  • Renatus est is Latin for "was baptized" or "reborn."
  • Natus est is Latin for "was born."
  • Conjuncti sunt is Latin for "were married." Copulati sunt or intronizati sunt may also be used.
  • Mortuus est is Latin for "died." Obitus est, defunctus est, or denatus est may also be used.
  • Filia is Latin for "daughter."
  • Filius is Latin for "son."
  • Mater is Latin for "mother."
  • Pater is Latin for "father."
  • Uxor is Latin for "wife."
  • Vir is Latin for "husband."

    • If you don't speak German, knowing a few common words can aid in your search:

  • Getauft is German for "baptized."
  • Geburt is German for "birth."
  • Ehe is German for "marriage."
  • Tod is German for "death."
  • Tochter von is German for "daughter of."
  • Sohn von is German for "son of."
  • Mutter is German for "mother."
  • Vater is German for "father."
  • Ehefrau is German for "wife."
  • Ehemann is German for "husband."

    • Collection in context

    The Catholic church began recording marriages in 1564 by decree of the Council of Trent. Baptisms and deaths were recorded starting in 1614. These records predated civil registrations of these events in the country by hundreds of years.

    As the seat of the Habsburg Monarchy and part of the Holy Roman Empire, the Duchy of Austria was largely Catholic until the Protestant Reformation. During the Counter-Reformation, the Habsburg Monarchy instituted an aggressive regime to return the Empire to Catholicism. The Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II of Austria enacted the Patent of Toleration in 1781, which granted religious freedom to non-Catholic Christians.

    In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire came to an end but the Habsburgs continued to rule as the Austrian Empire. In 1867, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise (Ausgleich in German or Kiegyezés in Hungarian) granted sovereignty to the Kingdom of Hungary and led to the birth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After being defeated in World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided and the Republic of Austria was born.

    Bibliography

    Ancestry.com. "Reading Catholic Records." Last modified October 16, 2021. https://www.ancestry.com/cs/catholic.

    Austrian Embassy. "Religion- Austria." Last modified January 5, 2022. https://www.austria.org/religion.

    Mutchlechner, Martin. "The Struggle for People's Souls - The Habsburgs and the Counter-Reformation." The World of the Habsburgs. Last modified March 20, 2021. https://www.habsburger.net/en/chapter/struggle-peoples-souls-habsburgs-and-counter-reformation.

    Visiting Vienna. "What is "Austria?" Last modified April 16, 2021. https://www.visitingvienna.com/culture/austria/.