Already in 1645 a small church was built on the level of the "Sau-Rihsl" on behalf of the Lilienfeld Monastery, and a locality was built in 1757, in 1783 finally an independent curate.
The patron saint of the church was St. Joseph, from whom the mountain finally got its name.
Highest parish in Lower Austria (1026 m)
The small parish of Josefsberg is located in the diocesan area of St. Pölten and is pastorally served by the Cistercian monastery of Lilienfeld. Today the parish has only about 100 souls, but with its culturally and historically important baroque church it looks back on a history of more than 400 years. TheJosefsberg is part of the Via Sacra, the traditional pilgrimage route to Mariazell. The last three stations on this route are the pilgrimage churches of St. Anna (Annaberg), St. Joachim (Joachimsberg), according to church tradition the parents of Mary, and finally St. Joseph (Josefsberg), the bridegroom of the Mother of God.
For pilgrims to Mariazell it was a matter of course until the 20th century to hold a prayer service in these churches, also on Josefsberg. Only since the new road was built in the 1970s is the Josefsberg now somewhat off the route to Mariazell.
From the "Sauriehsl" to the "Josefsberg
The actual history of the Josefsberg begins around 1600. At that time it was still called "Sauriehsl" (Saurüssel), a somewhat unattractive name. On the Sauriehsl a small hermitage was built by pious Cistercian monks from the Lilienfeld monastery, after an inn for pilgrims (today the Sabath inn) on the "Saw Ruessl" had already been attested since 1536. In 1645, according to the parish chronicle, a small St. Joseph's church was built in place of the hermitage, which was consecrated in the same year on July 25.
The patron saint of the church also gives the mountain its new name. In 1648 the new church was equipped with a baroque marble altar. Josefsberg is elevated to a parish In 1757, under Empress Maria Theresa, Josefsberg is elevated to a curacy (parish-like pastoral station). This event is connected with a beautiful, but historically doubtful story, which is told again and again: During her reign Maria Theresa visited Mariazell several times, and once again the empress was on a pilgrimage. A snowstorm made it difficult for the imperial coach to pass over the Josefberg. Suddenly, the empress sees a young woman with her newborn child. Exposed to wind and weather, the mother struggles through the snow. Maria Theresa stopped and asked where the woman was going in such weather. "To have the child baptized in Annaberg," she replies. It is a long and difficult walk from Josefsberg to Annaberg, especially in the rough weather conditions that are common in the mountains.
The empress, touched by this experience, then initiated the establishment of a parish and the extension of the chapel to a parish church on Josefsberg, so that the people living in the surrounding area would be spared the long journey to church. The parish chronicle reports that the elevation to an independent parish takes place in 1783. In 1786 the parish cemetery was built and in 1792 a new rectory and a parish school were erected.
Exhibition "Holzknecht, Bauer, Mönch & Pilger" in the parish courtyard of Josefsberg: The visit of the "secco paintings" about the work of the wood servants is only possible in connection with a guided tour by appointment: Tel.: 0660/80 51 025 (Fr. Digruber) or 0676/930 46 18 (Fr. Justin).