Pfarrkirche St. Margarethen ob Töllerberg

The parish church of St Margarethen ob Töllerberg stands in the small village of the same name, part of Völkermarkt in southern Kärnten. Built originally in the Romanesque style, the church was largely remodelled in the early sixteenth century while keeping its medieval core. Protected as a listed monument, it sits at the edge of the settlement with farmland and wooded hills rising behind. The church is worth visiting for its well-preserved architecture and art. The west tower rises four storeys, topped by an octagonal twisted spire and louvred openings with tracery. Inside, the nave vaults show crisp net ribs springing from corbels, while the chancel has a five-sided apse with similar ribbing. The high altar fills the entire east end in rich Baroque form, housing a late-nineteenth-century statue of the patron saint and surrounding saints. Outside, the south wall carries a large fresco of St Christopher painted in about 1900. Near the entrance stands a Renaissance tombstone of Felix Victor Rauber, dated 1590, carved with his full figure. A fragment of a Roman grave, reused in the north wall, hints at the site’s long history. The churchyard is quiet, with views across the surrounding fields to the wooded slopes beyond.