Description of the attraction
The parish church of the village of Flachau, a famous ski center, is consecrated in honor of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. The local parish covers part of the territory of the municipality of Flachau, where 1200 Catholics live.
Already in 1708, miners and other workers living in Flachau asked a priest from the neighboring village of Father Johann Georg Auer for permission to build their own church so that they could attend all services without problems. And local merchants agreed to allocate a certain amount of money for the construction of the chapel. For several years, the inhabitants of Flachau submitted petitions, but only in 1714 did Archbishop Franz Antonius von Harrach allow the construction of a new church to begin. Five years later, a suitable building site was found on a low hill right in the center of the city, and the foundation stone of the church was laid. On September 8, 1722, the new church of the Virgin Mary was personally blessed by the same archbishop. In 1720, a house for a priest appeared near the church, which still exists today. The priest's duties included teaching children, conducting daily and Sunday services, and organizing pilgrimages on major holidays.
The narrow church of the Virgin Mary was built of tuff in the Italian Baroque style. The main facade is crowned with a small neat turret with an onion dome. The high altar was created in marble by Michael Rottmeier.
The Church of the Virgin Mary is open to tourists during free time from services. You can preliminarily agree with a local priest about an excursion to the temple entrusted to him.
