St. Jakob

The Pfarrkirche hl. Jakobus der Ältere stands in the centre of Purkersdorf, a town in Lower Austria surrounded by the Vienna Woods. Built as a Roman Catholic parish church, it has been under Denkmalschutz for decades. The building replaced an earlier patron church from before 1333, when the dukes Albrecht II. and Otto acquired the site with its church fief. The church survived sieges, fires and plagues, each time rebuilt or restored. After Turkish raids in 1529 and 1683 it was repaired in simple Baroque style. A major enlargement in 1935–36 added a south aisle and extended the nave westward. The tower gained its Baroque helmet in 1885, raising it to thirty-three metres. Inside, the high altar of the 18th century dominates the choir. Its marble-like table and silver Rococo frame hold the Gnadenbild ‘Maria, Trösterin der Betrübten’, brought from Peru and installed in 1727. Three round-arched windows behind the altar depict Saint Leopold, Saint Jakobus and Saint Theresia. The pulpit, remodelled in 1935, now stands free in the nave.