Nußdorfer Pfarrkirche

The parish church of Nußdorf stands in the small village of Nußdorf within the municipality of Nußdorf-Debant in East Tyrol. It is dedicated to Saint Helena and first appeared in written records in 1274. For centuries it served as a filial church under the parish of Dölsach before becoming an independent parish in 1785. The building has been protected as a historic monument since the 20th century. The church’s long history is reflected in its architecture and furnishings. The polygonal choir and main altar were completed in 1485 by order of the Salzburg archbishop. The interior was remodelled in the 17th century by the Lienz painter Johann Hofmann the Elder, who created a new altarpiece and gilded the tabernacle. In the early 19th century the nave was given a classical redesign with flat pilasters and half-capitals. Inside, the church presents a classical nave of three bays with flat ceilings and pilasters. The polygonal choir retains Gothic features such as stepped buttresses and a hollow-chamfered cornice. A small Baroque chapel with a cross-ribbed vault and altar lies beneath the sacristy. The tower, in Gothicising style, has pointed louvres, small round windows in the gable fields and an octagonal spire.