Pfarrkirche (Merkersdorf)

The Pfarrkirche Merkersdorf stands in the village of Merkersdorf, part of the market town of Ernstbrunn in Lower Austria. A Roman Catholic parish church dedicated to Saint James the Elder, it belongs to the deanery of Stockerau within the vicariate of Manhartsberg in the Archdiocese of Vienna. The church sits on a raised terrace in the northern part of the village, enclosed by a churchyard wall. It was built in 1764 by the master builder Ignaz Gunold. The building is under Denkmalschutz, recognising its cultural significance. The church is a late Baroque single-nave structure oriented to the north, with a tower façade facing the village. The exterior features a volute gable portal adorned with rococo ornaments and the date 1764. Inside, the three-bay nave and slightly recessed choir are covered by a barrel vault with lunettes. The walls display marbled pilasters and a comprehensive rococo fresco scheme by Johann Greippel from 1764. The high altar includes a tabernacle and a crowned altarpiece of the Virgin and Child, while the side altars feature works by Johann Franz Greippel. Visitors find a well-preserved rococo interior with a curved organ loft and marbled furnishings from the building period. The chancel wall holds Greippel’s 1765 altarpiece of the Apotheosis of Saint James beneath a painted glory. The pulpit, crafted by Johann Michael Reiff in 1766, has a niche portal crowned by a dove of the Holy Spirit. The organ case, built in stages by Josef Silberbauer and Joseph Gatto, completes the ensemble. Outside, the churchyard wall and elevated position overlook the former Angerdorf and the Senningbach valley.