Pfarrkirche Grafenbach

The parish church of Grafenbach stands 1,161 metres above sea level on the southern slope of the Saualpe in the municipality of Diex. It is a fortified church with a defensive wall, both protected as historic monuments. The church is dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene and belongs to the Gurk-Klagenfurt diocese. The church first appears in records in 1309 and became an independent parish only in the 18th century. Its late-Gothic structure dates from the early 16th century, with a tower crowned by an eight-sided spire covered in stone shingles. Inside, a net-ribbed vault spans the three-bay nave, while the two-bay choir has a similar vault and a 3/8 closure. The baroque altars, dating from the late 17th century, feature statues of local saints and evangelists. The church’s west front is framed by a two-storey porch added in 1640, its round-arched doorways and richly profiled portal still intact. Outside, the three-metre-high ring wall encloses the site, with a two-storey gate tower at the southwest corner. Inside the wall runs a wooden gallery under a shingle roof, now used as a rehearsal room. The churchyard holds a 17th-century crucifix restored in 1982.