Filialkirche St. Helene Oberdrum

The Catholic branch church of St Helen stands on a wooded hilltop in Oberdrum, a village above the town of Lienz in East Tirol. It belongs to the Lienz deanery of the diocese of Innsbruck and has been protected as a listed monument since the 20th century. A small late-medieval church was first recorded in 1308, and the present Gothic building was erected by the craftsmen of Gorizia. The church was once a pilgrimage centre for livestock, harvests and weather. Every Easter Saturday the community still gathers for a sunrise service and the sharing of loaves of bread. The tower was rebuilt after lightning struck in the 18th century, and the sacristy was added in 1687. The west porch, with its stone corner pillars and throwing table, dates from 1666. Inside, the single nave has three bays under a net-ribbed vault with carved bosses. The wooden gallery was inserted in 1649, and the slightly pointed chancel arch frames the two-bay choir with its barrel vault. The high altar of 1853 carries statues of St Helen and the apostles Peter and Paul, while a side altar by Johann Paterer shows scenes from the lives of St John the Baptist and St Vitus. Outside, the churchyard linden and the wide view over the Lienzer valley complete the scene.