St. Ägydius in der Haid

St Ägydius in der Haid stands alone on a meadow in the Steiermark countryside. The small Roman Catholic church is a branch of the parish of Grafendorf bei Hartberg and is dedicated to Saint Giles. It is the fourth building on this spot, as excavations showed. The site once belonged to Wisitindorf, an estate on the Lafnitz river given to the Archbishopric of Salzburg in 864. The deed recording this gift is one of the oldest surviving documents for the region. The present church was completed in 1714 after earlier parts had been removed during the Kuruc wars. A tower was added in 1760 and the interior was painted by Johann Cyriak Hackhofer in 1719. His works include the high-altar picture of Saint Giles with the hind and eight painted figures in the choir. A 17th-century statue of the Virgin and Child stands on a column beside the 18th-century pulpit. Each year around 4 July the church hosts the St Ilgen fair, originally a livestock market that later grew to include linen, wool and hardware. The fair still takes place today on the meadow around the church.