Catholic parish church Hallstatt

The Catholic parish church of Hallstatt stands high on a steep rock above the village in the Salzkammergut. Its oldest part is a tower built no later than the 12th century. The present church was begun in the late Gothic period and completed in 1505. After a fire in 1750 the tower received a new baroque helmet. The church contains three notable altars. The late Gothic winged altar shows scenes from the life of Christ and figures of bishops. The neogothic cross altar was made between 1888 and 1895 by teachers and pupils of the Hallstatt woodworking school under architect Hermann von Riewel. A smaller Gothic winged altar from about 1450, rescued by miners and restored in 1963–65, was returned in 2018 after stolen panels were recovered in Italy. Beyond the nave lies the Michaelskapelle, a Gothic chapel built against the rock face. A path through the shared cemetery leads to its door. Below the chapel is the ossuary where bones and skulls have been stored since about 1600. The interior of the main church shows a two-aisled hall ending in twin choirs, with an octagonal pillar dividing the space.