Stetten - Pfarrkirche

The Catholic parish church of St Ulrich stands on a small hill at the eastern edge of Stetten in Lower Austria. Built of brick and stone, it overlooks the village and the surrounding fields. The churchyard surrounds the building on all sides, giving it a quiet, sheltered feel. A late-Gothic choir and a northern tower form the oldest parts of the structure. The main nave was rebuilt in the early 20th century in Neo-Gothic style after plans by master builder Mölzer. The church is worth visiting for its well-preserved architecture and furnishings. The west front shows rich detailing with stepped buttresses and a shoulder-arched portal. Inside, the four-bay nave has deep cross-ribbed vaults and pointed-arch arcades to the side aisles. The Barbara Chapel, added in the 15th century, features Gothic windows and a ribbed vault with spherical corbels. Josef Rifesser carved the Neo-Gothic altars and statues between 1902 and 1919. The high altar carries figures of Saints Ulrich, Leopold and Anthony. Visitors find a peaceful interior with carved wooden furnishings. The high altar dominates the sanctuary, flanked by side altars and a sacrament niche with tracery. The Barbara Chapel holds its own altar and a painted image of the saint. The organ, built in 1910 by Johann M. Kauffmann, stands in the west gallery. Outside, weathered gravestones mark the graves of local figures from the 18th and 19th centuries. The church’s setting, with distant views over the countryside, completes the visit.