Kirche Gettsdorf, Gemeinde Ziersdorf

The Catholic parish church of Saint Valentine stands on the northern side of the village green in Gettsdorf, a hamlet within the market town of Ziersdorf in Lower Austria. Built as a fortified church, it overlooks the rectangular village square and has been protected as a listed monument for decades. The building combines medieval defences with later Baroque embellishments, marking centuries of change on the same spot. The church’s history begins in 1312 when Gettsdorf belonged to Ravelsbach parish. In 1339 it became a vicariate of Melk Abbey, and in 1651 it was raised to a full parish. The present Baroque structure, designed by Pater Anselm Steyrer, was erected between 1739 and 1741 using parts of the earlier medieval church. The tower still shows its 16th-century Gothic shot-holes, while the upper section dates from 1698–1700 and wears a distinctive onion dome. Inside, the nave is covered by a segmental barrel vault supported on Corinthian pilasters. The high altar of the 1740s frames a painting of the Crucifixion flanked by statues of Saints Peter and Paul. To the sides are side altars richly decorated with stucco by Johann Michael Flor in 1752. The pulpit carries gilded laurel garlands and a group of the three theological virtues. Outside, a Baroque statue of Saint Florian stands guard on a tall pedestal, sword drawn.