Pfarrkirche St. Vitus, Edlitz

The parish church of Edlitz stands in the market town of Edlitz in Lower Austria. It is dedicated to Saint Vitus and belongs to the deanery of Kirchberg in the Archdiocese of Vienna. The church and its surrounding medieval defensive wall are protected monuments. The church’s history goes back to 1192, when it was first mentioned as a parish linked to Stift Reichersberg. The present building was constructed in the mid-15th century, with the choir roof dated 1452 and the nave roof to 1455. Early modern wall paintings were uncovered in 1933, and a chapel built in 1756 was removed again in 1785. A memorial chapel for Pope John Paul II’s visit was added in 1983 to the south-east of the church. The exterior shows a tall block-like nave under a steep hip roof, with stepped buttresses and a plain west front. The south wall has two high pointed windows and a late-Gothic portal with a small oriel above. The choir, set lower than the nave, has a five-sided end and rhythmic pointed windows. Inside, the nave is a single-bay hall with a ribbed vault on an octagonal central pillar. A wooden organ loft was added in 1954 above the west gallery, which itself dates from the late 15th century. The choir and sacristy retain their late-Gothic vaults, while the high altar and pulpit are neo-Gothic works by Leopold Moroder and others.