Kirche Sankt Georgen im Katschtal

The Catholic branch church of St George stands in the hamlet of St Georgen, part of Rennweg am Katschberg in Carinthia. It belongs to the parish of St Peter in the Katsch valley and is dedicated to the saint who slays the dragon. The first written record of the church dates from 1351, when it was already a branch of St Peter’s. After a fire in 1860 destroyed the tower, rebuilding finished in 1892. The present late-baroque nave replaced an earlier church between 1780 and 1782. A two-storey west gallery holds the organ above the singers’ loft. Inside, the high altar is a late-baroque six-column aedicula with side doors and an upper section. The altarpiece, painted in 1881 by Josef Messner, shows St George overcoming the dragon. Flanking figures of St Paul and St Peter were added two years later. The left side altar, dated 1806, contains a late-gothic statue of the Virgin and Child. The right side altar, from 1838, frames a 17th-century image of St Sebastian. A rococo pulpit from the late 18th century and statues of the Sorrowful Christ and the Sorrowful Mother complete the furnishings. The churchyard surrounds the building, its gravestones dating back several centuries. The tower on the north side still shows its original gothic lower stage beneath later baroque layers. The choir windows contain stained glass, and the Stations of the Cross were moved here from St Peter’s in 1917. The organ, built in 1813 by Franz and Anton Frisch with eight stops, remains in use. The late-baroque design of the nave and the classical side altars create a calm space for prayer and reflection.