parish church

The parish church of Mooskirchen stands in the market town of Mooskirchen in western Styria. Built in the 12th century, it is dedicated to Saint Vitus and has served as the town’s main Catholic church ever since. The building sits at the heart of the community, surrounded by the everyday life of the market square. The church is worth visiting for the layers of history it preserves. First mentioned in 1136, it was rebuilt in the 15th and again in the early 18th century. The tower was raised in 1713 by Joachim Carlone and crowned with a bulbous dome and lantern. Inside, the high altar of 1824–25 holds figures carved in 1732 by Josef Schokotnigg, while the organ dates from 1845. Visitors find a church with a cross-shaped plan and a west tower. Inside, the nave and choir are covered by ribbed vaults resting on double pilasters. Early Gothic lancet windows were uncovered in 1975. The walls carry a 15th-century fresco of the Apostles and the legend of Saint Catherine, and the pulpit was made in 1750 by Johann Piringer.