Saint Giles, Raach am Hochgebirge

The Catholic subsidiary church of St Ägidius stands in the middle of Raach am Hochgebirge, a village in the district of Neunkirchen in Lower Austria. Its two naves and twin choirs form a single rectangular block under one roof. A tower rises at the northwest corner, built in 1766 but altered in the 19th century. The surrounding churchyard wall partly encloses the site, creating a quiet enclosure for the building. The church’s history goes back to the 14th century when it became a vicariate and later, after 1570, the parish church. In the second half of the 19th century it was heavily remodelled in the neo-Gothic style, though parts of the late-Gothic structure remain. Inside, two rows of octagonal piers carry pointed arches that separate the naves. The north choir, dated 1512, holds early Renaissance vine-scroll paintings uncovered in 1960. Visitors enter through a late-Gothic pointed doorway that was moved twice, first in 1880 and again in 1960. The south choir has neo-Gothic windows of 1877, while the north choir shows three stained-glass windows from Bruges depicting saints and coats of arms. The neo-Gothic high altar, built about 1880, includes a tabernacle and side niches with figures of Franciscan saints. The organ dates from 1962 and two bells were cast in 1956, complementing the 1761 bell by Christoph Packendorff.