Pfarrkirche Mariae Gnadenbrunn, Burgau, Styria

The parish church of Burgau stands on a slight rise on the western edge of the village in Burgau, a small community in the Hartberg-Fürstenfeld district of Styria. It is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Nativity of Mary and belongs to the Eastern Styria region of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau. The building is protected as a listed monument. The church has suffered repeated damage over the centuries. It was destroyed by Hungarians in 1418, badly damaged by fire in 1624 and by a storm in 1775. A major restoration took place in 1952. The choir dates from the mid-15th century, while the second to fourth bays of the nave were added in 1626. The entrance bay with its three-bay organ gallery and the ribbed vaults on reshaped wall pillars were created in 1775 by the Fürstenfeld master builder Leopold Einspinner. Inside, the church has a four-bay nave covered by ribbed vaults resting on wall pillars. The Gothic choir has a square bay and a five-sided apse with bold pear-ribbed vaulting. Late Gothic frescoes radiate from the keystones, decorated with flowers and foliage. Above the rood arch is a newer fresco of Saint Mary. The high altar from the early 18th century holds a small carved Madonna from about 1420–1430, once part of a pilgrimage figure. The side altars also date from the early 18th century and were restored in 1966, while the main altar was restored in 2019. A bell cast in 1586 hangs in the tower.