Filialkirche hl. Stephanus, Hofkirchen bei Hartberg

St. Stefan is a Gothic branch church in the parish of Kaindorf, standing in the village of the same name in eastern Styria. Built in 1384 of rough-hewn stone, it has never been plastered, so the holes left by the scaffolding remain visible on the walls. Few churches in Styria preserve their Gothic appearance so completely, making it a rare example of the period. Restoration work in 1958 uncovered late-medieval frescoes painted around 1530. The most striking are in the choir, where the Last Judgement covers the east wall in vivid colours. The floor was relaid in 1722 with large stone slabs, and a sacristy was added in 1771. The high altar was carved in 1647 by Johann Feiner, a sculptor from Hartberg, working together with the carpenter Georg Maurer. Visitors step into a single, unheated nave whose plain whitewashed ceiling contrasts with the exposed stonework below. The choir arch frames the frescoed wall, while the altar stands against it, its gilded figures catching the light from the small east window. The stone floor slopes gently toward the altar, and the original wooden doors still hang on iron hinges. Outside, the churchyard is quiet, with only the sound of wind in the surrounding fields.