Kirche in Flattach

The parish church of Flattach stands in the village of Flattach in Carinthia, surrounded by the Drau valley’s mountain scenery. It is dedicated to Saint Matthias and belongs to the Upper Carinthian deanery of Gurk-Klagenfurt diocese. The church and its walled cemetery form a protected monument. The present building dates mainly from the 18th century. A church was first recorded in 1504, the nave was lengthened in 1786, and the tower added in 1794. Inside, the late-18th-century ceiling paintings show Christ’s Ascension in the choir and the Adoration of the Shepherds in the nave. The high altar, with its curved side wings, was made around 1840 and carries a painting of Christ and Mary Magdalene by Brandstätter. The simple pulpit, altered in 1777, displays carved images of the Four Evangelists and a rococo figure of the Good Shepherd. A large guardian-angel group from the early 19th century stands beside several contemporary paintings. Nearby, a small baroque chapel shelters a carved guardian-angel statue.