Pfarrkirche St. Peter bei Grafenstein

The Roman Catholic parish church of St Peter at Grafenstein stands in the eastern part of the village of St Peter within the market town of Grafenstein in Klagenfurt-Land district, Carinthia. It is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and belongs to the Tainach/Tinje deanery in the Gurk-Klagenfurt diocese. The building is protected as a listed monument. The church first appears in records in 1138 and 1269. By the early 17th century it was a branch of Tainach parish, became a vicariate in 1786 and was raised to a parish in 1853. The interior was restored in 1969 and the organ and pulpit in 1994. The exterior shows a narrow Gothic structure with a three-sided choir end and a west tower topped by a pyramid roof. Stone slabs cover the roof, and a two-storey sacristy stands to the south. Inside, the four-bay nave is vaulted with a lozenge-star pattern and the two-bay choir has a net-ribbed vault on round shafts. Frescoes from about 1500 were uncovered in 1969 along the choir walls, depicting scenes from the life of Saint Peter. The high altar of 1782 carries statues of Saints Peter, Andrew and Paul, while the side altars date from the early 18th century. A late Gothic mural of Saint Christopher adorns the south side of the tower.