The first big heatwave of the year has hit Austria and, according to weather forecasts, it is expected to last until the midst of next week. With temperatures well above 30 degrees – up to as much as 38 degrees in some areas – and with almost no relief at night, even churches are providing relief from the heat. The choice of churches that are most suitable as cool spaces depends not just on their geographical location but also on their building and the frequency of visitors, as explained by Niki Haselsteiner, lead of the “Open Church” project of the Archdiocese of Vienna. “However, one does not need to be religious to find relief in a church. As Cardinal Schönborn said once, one might as well take a book; God welcomes all”. The key rule one should keep in mind is that, “when one is looking for a cool place of worship, only the oldest buildings are cool enough”. After a long heatwave, even churches become hotter: “By late July, the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures is just about three degrees”, Haselsteiner stated. Gothic, early Baroque and high Baroque churches built before 1750 are potentially cooler. St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, with its six and a half million visitors a year, is an exception, though: “Its doors are always open because of the high number of visitors. To find a really cool temperature, you need to go down to the crypt”, says Haselsteiner, where one can cool off at just 13 degrees.