Filialkirche hl Maria, Maria Feicht

Maria Feicht is a small pilgrimage church in the village of Glanegg in Carinthia. It stands on a gentle rise above the Glan valley, surrounded by meadows and wooded hills. First mentioned between 1060 and 1076, it was built as a private chapel for the Eppensteiner family. The present building dates from the early 16th century and shows the late Gothic style of the region. A tall tower with twisted columns in its sound openings rises beside the choir, while a small stair turret clings to its west face. The church holds fine examples of Baroque and late Gothic craftsmanship. The high altar of 1681 fills the entire choir with its twisted columns, shellwork carvings and a central statue of the Virgin and Child. On the north wall hangs a painted altar with a life-size crucifixion set against a painted Jerusalem skyline. A late Gothic stone pulpit from 1510 twists around its stem, and an 1882 organ by Franz Corolic carries painted wings showing King David and Saint Cecilia. Roman gravestones are built into the outer walls, and a painted coat of arms commemorates Caspar Leonhard von Rämpichl, steward of Glanegg. Inside, the three-bay nave is covered by a star-vault on slender columns. A two-bay west gallery with its own star-vault carries the date 1524 on its middle console. A broad pointed arch leads to the single-bay choir, vaulted with net ribs and ending in a five-sided apse. The sacristy opens from a pointed door in the south wall of the choir. Outside, the churchyard is quiet, with views across the valley to the surrounding hills.