Saint John the Baptist Church

The Roman Catholic parish church of Eichberg stands in the village of Eichberg in the municipality of Rohrbach an der Lafnitz in Styria. It is dedicated to St John the Baptist and belongs to the Hartberg deanery in the Graz-Seckau diocese. The church and its surrounding defensive wall are listed as historic monuments. Originally a castle chapel beside Aichberg Castle was consecrated in 1368. The present building was erected in the 17th century and only became a parish church in 1941. The nave is covered by a barrel vault with lunettes, and the narrower sanctuary ends in a straight wall. A wooden organ loft projects into the space, and a west tower rises in front of the façade. A column topped by a statue of the Virgin stands on the approach, erected by the Steinpeiß family in the early 1600s. Inside, the high altar dates from the first half of the 17th century and is decorated with wrought-iron motifs. Several gravestones for members of the Steinpeiß family, carved between 1650 and 1675, are set into the floor. The church’s defensive wall encloses a quiet courtyard that preserves the atmosphere of a fortified sanctuary.