Stadtpfarrkirche zum Heiligen Leonhard - Impression #1 | © Stadtgemeinde Feldbach

Stadtpfarrkirche zum Heiligen Leonhard

Feldbach

The parish church of St. Leonhard of Feldbach is located on the church square between the Museum im Tabor and Villa Hold.

The town parish church in its present form was built in the years 1898 to 1900. It is partially located on the site where the old church stood.

Therefore, from the old church we have preserved only two thirds of the nave built in the 12th century (today the Heroes' Memorial Church) and the foundations of the tower. Since the old church had become too small and consisted of very different parts of rooms (it was repeatedly enlarged in the course of time), at the end of the last century a new construction of a larger church was started, adapted to the ratio of the population. At the same time, a part of the Tabor buildings was demolished to make room for the new church.

The construction of the new church according to the plans of architect Pascher began on June 17, 1898. Compared to the "jagged" interior of the old church, the new church was planned as a spacious strictly uniform space of clear clarity. It has a single nave and a narrower, straight chancel. The dimensions of the interior are considerable. The full length is 48.6 meters, the width including the chapels extends to 20.4 meters, the height is 20.2 meters. The tower was adapted to the new building both in shape and height (increased to 71 meters).

Because of the poor soil, the entire base had to be founded with one meter thick concrete. The construction progressed rapidly and already on October 15, 1900, the parish church of St. Leonhard was consecrated by Prince Bishop Dr. Leopold Schuster. In the following period, the new church was gradually furnished. In 1907 the high altar was erected, the old altar came to Unterlamm. The paintings inside the church were completed in 1947. The exterior facade of the Feldbach parish church was renovated in 1980. For its 100th anniversary, the parish church was renovated inside in 2000. In 2020 the exterior of the church was renovated and thus also got back its original color.

St. Leonhard - our parish patron saint - was a hermit who probably founded the monastery of Noblae (central France) in the 6th century. Leonhard especially advocated more justice in the penal system and obtained the release of innocent prisoners (hence the broken chains). Thanks to his excellent knowledge of nature, he was often able to help farmers and their livestock (hence representation with animals). Leonhard probably died in 559 and was considered a miracle worker even during his lifetime.

Since the exterior renovation in 2020, a statue of St. Leonhard once again adorns the gable niche placed high above the main entrance on the east side. The niche had probably been empty since 1943, when a statue located there disappeared. The design for the new statue was made by the Feldbach artist Roswitha Dautermann. It is characterized by a contemporary, independent formal language. The realization took place together with the stonemason Johann Paar. The limestone for the statue comes from St. Margarethen in Burgenland. The blank weighed 2.2 tons, the finished figure has a weight of about 500 kilograms.

Contact

Stadtpfarrkirche zum Heiligen Leonhard
Franz-Josef-Straße 3
8330 Feldbach
Moile (+43) 676 8742 6061

What the weather will be like

Feldbach (283m)

Morning
sunny
7°C
5%
5 km/h
Noon
slightly cloudy
18°C
0%
25 km/h
Night
slightly cloudy
16°C
0%
20 km/h
Dry and partly sunny throughout the day, with cloudy periods from time to time.
Morning
sunny
12°C
0%
10 km/h
Noon
very sunny
23°C
0%
20 km/h
Night
sunny
19°C
0%
10 km/h
Rather sunny weather during the day with clouds mainly in the morning and towards the evening
31.03.2024
sunny
10°C 23°C
01.04.2024
sunny
10°C 23°C
02.04.2024
sunny
7°C 18°C