I didn’t think they existed — Lutherans in Austria. But when I was walking back to the hotel from the soccer training ground a few days ago, the bells were banging, on the stroke of 7 p.m, at a church across the street, and I decided to take a closer look.

The ivy-covered church (interior, above) was not only a Protestant church, but a Lutheran church. And I had thought, when it came to Christians in Austria, practically the only sort were Roman Catholics. Which is less accurate that I thought.

Today, I decided to go to church there. Lutheran churches being in very short supply in the UAE.

Here is what I discovered:

The city of Lienz apparently has more than a few Lutherans. They may not be prominent, or even much noticed, but they are around. And I had noted the evangelische kirche (Protestant church) on a map of Lienz.

First, a bit of history. According to the link, above, most Austrians had converted to Lutheranism in the mid-1500s, just after the Reformation began in Germany, to the north.

But the Habsburg rulers of the Holy Roman Empire (which would later become the Austro-Hungarian Empire) remained Catholics, and eventually forced out most Lutherans, variously demanding they emigrate or convert back to Catholicism.

For long periods of time, it was downright subversive to be a Lutheran in what is now Austria.

This fairly random compilation of Austrian history incorporates a bit of information on Lutherans in the country, with the dates of when it was dangerous to be a Lutheran … more dangerous … and then allowed again, in 1861.

So, nearly 500 years later, a few remain.

I was met inside the church door by the pastor, who looked very much like you would expect a Lutheran pastor to look — tall, graying, maybe 40, neat (with short beard), serious and a bit imposing. He looked a little like a younger Max von Sydow, now that I think of it.

I told him, in German, I did not speak the language very well. He asked me if I were from Holland, which struck me as odd (but it turned out several Dutch were already in the sanctuary) … and I said no, I came from the Vereiningen Staaten (the U.S.). And he said, and this may have been a bit of Lutheran minister humor (or just a blunt declaration of fact), “But I cannot preach in English.” And I said, well, naturlich, but that I would follow along in German as best I could.

He asked me where I lived, and I told him Abu Dhabi, and he nodded … and inside I went.

The inside of the church is very plain, as you can see in the photo, perhaps because of a lack of funds, perhaps because of the Baptist influence sometimes seen in Lutheran churches in Europe, even in Germany. No art on the walls, no images in the glass, and one crucifix, small, up behind the altar.

About 50 people arrived for the 9:30 a.m. service, and unlike most examples of Christianity in western and central Europe, the group was not dominated by elderly people. Children and young adults were in the quiet, attentive congregation.

The hymns were posted, as was the Psalm reading, and I recognized the tunes of all four hymns. (One was a Joachim Neander tune.) Which is curious because my experience at Anglican church services in Abu Dhabi is … that I recognize nearly none of their songs. Even the Christmas songs.

I could sing the hymns because German is a very consistent language, unlike English. A person with some knowledge of letter values can speak German — without knowing what most of the words actually mean.

I finally divined that the sermon had to do with an episode involving the disciple Philip and an Ethiopian, a rather curious meeting described in Acts 8:26-40. I could pick out “Ethiopian,” which is pronounced almost exactly as it would be in English, and “Philipus” which probably was Philip … and I also heard finanzminister … and I was able to find the passage, later on.

I found in the hymnal the Lord’s Prayer, in German, as well as the Apostles Creed, and read along, and I took communion, along with about 20 people. I can vouch for the wine being the most sour I have found in any chalice anywhere.

It wasn’t a particularly warm occasion, but that’s what Lutheranism is about. That comes, I believe, both from the often aloof ethnic groups who practice it (Germans and Scandinavians, originally) as well as a very direct acceptance of Biblical authority, and an intellectual rather than an emotional approach to religion.

It was nice, and much of it was recognizable (when I knew what I was reading, I could pick out the key words) and familiar, and I was glad that I went.

I didn’t expect to find Lutherans in Austria, and it might be even more difficult in the coming decades, given that Lutherans are now the third-biggest religious group in Austria, at about 4 percent. Muslims are now in second place, behind Roman Catholics.