Kirche Maria Rojach

Maria Rojach stands on the western edge of the village of Maria Rojach in the Lavant valley, part of the municipality of St. Andrä in Carinthia. The parish church, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, belongs to the deanery of St. Andrä in the diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt. It is protected as a listed building, with remains of its medieval defences still visible. The church’s history begins with a first mention in 1314, and by 1480 it had become a parish. In the 15th century it was fortified as a church castle and besieged by the Turks in 1480. The late-Gothic walls were lowered in the 19th century, but fragments remain, including a round tower with a conical roof and a portal at the former walkway level. The present building combines a 14th-century Gothic core with later Baroque alterations. Inside, the church reveals a Gothic nave and choir with ribbed vaults and painted keystones. The high altar of 1703 dominates the choir with its twisted columns and figures of saints. A fine winged altar from 1529, attributed to Jörg Lederer, shows scenes from Christ’s life and the Passion. Side altars, a pulpit and wall paintings from the 14th to 18th centuries add to the rich interior. Outside, the remains of the old defences frame the peaceful setting of the Lavant valley.