Parish church of St. Lorenzen

Scheifling

Patronage: St. Lawrence, 10th August

The first church in St. Lorenzen is likely to have been built soon after 1100, but it was first mentioned in a document in the 14th century. The first reliable name of the church comes from the year 1335. In 1359 the patronage of St Lorentius was documented for the first time.

The old church was rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 14th and 15th centuries. Only the church tower remains from the Gothic period. Two late Gothic statues of St. Daniel and St. Florian were unfortunately stolen in 1973.

On Painful Friday (March 26th) 1926, the baroque high altar burned down completely. Part of the organ was damaged by the heat. The parish immediately ordered a new high altar from the sculptor Jakob Campidell in Feistritz an der Drau in Carinthia, which should be delivered this autumn. A few weeks later there was an even bigger catastrophe. On May 17, 1926, at 4:15 p.m., a fire broke out on the shingle roof of the parish church that cremated the church down to the walls. The fire was caused by flying sparks from a locomotive. Only the Holy of Holies, the paraments and some statues could be saved from the church.

The reconstruction of the church began on 21st July 1926 under the direction of city architect Franz Winkler from Graz.