Pfarrkirche Martinsberg

The parish church of Martinsberg stands on a small hill in the market town of Martinsberg in the Zwettl district of Lower Austria. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours and belongs to the Zwettl deanery in the Diocese of St Pölten. The church is protected as a listed monument. The church dates back to 1140 when it was first mentioned in records along with its consecration by Bishop Reginbert of Passau. In the 16th century the market turned Protestant after being sold to the Pöggstall estate. The originally Romanesque and Gothic building was transformed into a Baroque structure in 1743. Later restorations took place inside between 1974 and 1976 and outside in 1984. The church combines Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements. The Romanesque nave from the mid-13th century has herringbone masonry and a blocked-up round-arched window. The Gothic choir is taller than the nave and ends in a three-sided apse with buttresses. The medieval south tower has a Baroque upper section and a pointed spire. Inside, the Baroque high altar from the late 17th century shows the Holy Family and Saint Martin, while the 1892 organ was built by Max Zachistal and Franz Capek.