Sankt Johannes der Täufer

The parish church of Stroheim stands high above the village in the Eferding district of Upper Austria. Its 52-metre tower dominates the skyline and has done so since the 13th century. The church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, a choice made by Count Johann I of Schaunberg, who built the first structure around 1235. The Count belonged to the Knights Hospitaller and later handed the church to their branch in Mailberg, which expanded it into a commandery. After centuries as a Hospitaller site, the parish became independent in 1784 and remained so until 2022.

The building blends Gothic origins with later styles. Its nave has a barrel vault with lunettes, while the single-bay choir ends in a five-sided apse and is rib-vaulted. A two-bay west gallery, also rib-vaulted, overlooks the nave. The tower originally wore a Gothic spire, then a dome, before receiving its present pointed Gothic cap just over a century ago. Inside, a 1969 renovation removed later furnishings to reveal early Gothic ribs and exposed a marble tablet of the patron saint.

Visitors enter a space shaped by many ages. The altar area now centres on a granite table, ambo and font, while the east wall displays the discovered marble slab of Saint John. The church’s furnishings and vaults show how medieval forms were reshaped in the 19th century and again in the 20th. The surrounding village, with its commanding church, offers quiet views across the Upper Austrian countryside.