Pfarrkirche Lichtenau im Waldviertel

The parish church of Lichtenau stands on the southern edge of the main square in the small market town of Lichtenau in the Waldviertel region of Lower Austria. Built in the 18th century under the direction of church architect Josef Koch, the building replaced an earlier Gothic structure from the 14th century. Its Baroque façade features a symmetrical tower on the north side, flanked by a sacristy and a former family crypt. The church’s interior is organised around a broad nave with a central dome over the crossing. The high altar, installed in the late 1700s, fills the rounded apse and carries a painted altarpiece of Saint Ägidius from the early 19th century. Two side altars, each with curved gables, hold statues and paintings by local artists, including a work by Johann Karl Auerbach from 1755. A carved holy-water stoup shaped like a skull dates from the same period. Outside, the churchyard contains a gravestone with a relief coat of arms for Countess Clary-Aldringen, who died in 1818. The surrounding square is quiet, with the church’s western gable facing the street. Inside, the plaster vaults and pilaster strips create a calm, orderly space, while the organ loft above the entrance shows rich acanthus carving from 1758.