Pfarrkirche hl. Martin, Mehrnbach

The parish church of Mehrnbach stands in the village of Mehrnbach in Upper Austria. It is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Martin and belongs to the deanery of Ried im Innkreis within the diocese of Linz. The building is protected as a listed monument. The church’s history reaches back to 1166, when it was first recorded in the fifth Passau codex. After becoming an independent parish in the 14th century, it was temporarily reduced to a vicariate before regaining parish status in 1891. The structure shows layers from different periods, including a late Romanesque core in the tower and Gothic extensions completed by 1736. The south aisle features a late Gothic stone portal dated 1520, indicating the older of the two side aisles. Inside, the high altar from around 1690–1700 is attributed to Thomas Schwanthaler and his workshop. It displays a central figure of Saint Martin surrounded by figures of a farmer, a citizen, angels and putti, with the archangel Michael at the top. The left side altar in the Rococo style was created by Johann Peter Schwanthaler the Elder around 1770–1790, while the right side altar carries figures by the same artist. The Wehinger Chapel houses a baroque Madonna with the blessing Christ and a hovering Holy Spirit dove, flanked by four late Gothic relief panels from an earlier altarpiece. The tower, rising to 53 metres, combines a late Romanesque lower section with a Gothic upper part topped by a spire.