Description of the attraction
In the eastern part of Abtenau is the parish church of St. Blasius, which is the main attraction of this village. It arose on the site where the chapel of St. Anne was previously located. Today the Abtenau parish numbers 5,200 Catholics living directly in Abtenau, as well as in Weithenau, Wallengwinkel and Scheffau am Tennengebirge.
The first written mention of the church in Abtenau dates back to 1191. In 1313, the building was rebuilt and acquired its modern shape. As a result of one of the numerous peasant wars that raged here at the beginning of the 16th century, the Church of St. Blasius fell victim to a fire in 1525 - according to eyewitnesses, the building “became black as a hearth”. By great coincidence, the fire spared the organ, installed just 7 years earlier, in 1518. Almost immediately, work began on the restoration of the church, and already in 1540 it regained its former appearance.
The architectural style of the temple in Abtenau is usually attributed to the late Gothic period, although some parts of the building were rebuilt during the Baroque period. The main altar is decorated with sculptures by master Simeon Friz. In the center is the figure of the Virgin Mary with the Child, surrounded by Saints Ruppert, Blasius and Maximilian.
The left altar is considered a symbol of brotherhood and is decorated with a painting by Simon Stock, painted in 1684, depicting a vision of Saint Teresa, in which the Virgin Mary appeared to her. And the right one, also called the family one, is decorated with the image of the Holy Family at the moment when the angel persuades Joseph to heed the danger and run away with his wife and child.
The walls of the central tower in 1939 were decorated with frescoes on the theme of the Solomon's judgment, painted in 1540, and in the right wing of the church a stone with the imprint of the Hand of God was embedded in the wall.
