Wallfahrtskirche Maria Laab

Maria Laab is a small pilgrimage church standing alone in the flat Machland plain beside the L 570 road between Naarn and Mitterkirchen. The church and a nearby historic inn form a quiet ensemble in open farmland. The building once belonged to Naarn parish but now serves as a filial church in the same diocese. The church’s origins go back to at least 1092, when it was first recorded. The nave and choir walls date from the 15th century, while a north aisle was added in the 1720s. After a late-19th-century remodelling removed the baroque spire, the interior was repainted in the neoroman style of the Beuron art school. The high altar holds a crowned wooden Madonna, and the crypt contains the 1702 tomb of Wolfgang Schickhmayr. Inside, the flat ceiling carries a large fresco of the Assumption, and the organ by Johann Lachmayr has four stops. The neoroman altars were carved by Josef Dirnberger, who also served as mayor of Perg. The adjoining inn, still in private hands, can be hired for celebrations. Summer services and occasional coach pilgrimages keep the church alive today.