Pfarrkirche hl. Laurentius, Höbersbrunn

The Catholic parish church of St Lawrence stands on a small hill in the eastern part of Höbersbrunn, a village in Gaweinstal near Mistelbach in Lower Austria. The present building replaced an earlier church and was constructed between 1748 and 1754 in the Baroque style. The parish itself was only founded in 1783, long after the church was completed. The church is dedicated to Saint Lawrence of Rome and belongs to the deanery of Mistelbach-Pirawarth. It is protected as a listed monument in Austria. Inside, the church shows a three-bay nave covered by flat vaults on wall pillars with a broad impost zone. The central bay is slightly recessed and forms a niche-like space. The tower room below the organ loft is also vaulted in the same manner. The high altar is a painted wooden structure with columns and a curved pediment, housing an image of the Immaculate Conception from around 1900. Flanking statues depict Saints Lawrence and Mark, while the gable holds God the Father and two further figures of Saints Sebastian and Roch. The west front presents a plain façade with a central tower added in 1750. The tower has round-arched sound openings and is topped by an onion dome. A notable fresco in the chancel vault depicts Saint Lawrence and is signed F.K. 1939. The organ was built by Johann M. Kauffmann in 1883 and later altered in 1941. A bell cast by Franz Josef Scheichel in 1768 still rings today. The church’s restrained Baroque exterior gives way to a richly decorated interior that reflects its long history.