Have you ever wondered about the resilience of faith? Stand before the Pfarrkirche der heiligen Kunigunde. This church isn’t just a building. It’s a testament to enduring spirit. Its story begins in the 13th century. A small chapel honored Saint Kunigunde. Settlers from Bavaria brought her veneration to this place. Saint Kunigunde was the wife of Emperor Henry II. Legend says she walked unharmed across glowing plowshares. This miracle proved her innocence. Pope Innocent III canonized her in 1200. She’s the patron saint of children and pregnant women.
The Pfarrkirche der heiligen Kunigunde we see today didn’t spring up overnight. A larger church replaced the 13th-century chapel in the 14th century. It was deemed too small later. It underwent expansion in 1674. Tragically the Second Turkish Siege of Vienna destroyed it in 1683. The then-priest Lorenz Stipschitz fled. He wrote in the parish chronicles My eyes have no more tears to cry. This glorious house of God is a burned ruin devastated and desecrated.
A devastating fire struck again in 1737. Undeterred they rebuilt. The church underwent major renovations in 1802. The Baroque features you see today date from that time. The last structural changes occurred in 1926-27. The already existing western tower was heightened. A pyramidal spire was added.
The Pfarrkirche der heiligen Kunigunde stands within fortified walls. These walls aren’t just decorative. They were built for defense. The southern bastion survives best. It has a cellar once used as a charnel house. After World War I local youths disturbed the dead. They even played football with skulls. The entrance was walled up. A memorial to the World War II dead sits on the southern bastion. A larger memorial for the World War I dead resides in the church forecourt. The protecting wall is 73 centimeters thick. Fifty-five loopholes remain visible in the wall.
The old cemetery nearby also speaks volumes. It holds the grave of Priest Leonhard Russo. His tombstone is inscribed in Hungarian. It features his surname Russó before his given name Lénárd. An oil relief from around 1500 graces the south side of the church. A grave marker for Rosina Moritzkhin and Lucas Follckhl from 1646 is on the north side. The cemetery contains graves of notable 20th-century residents.
The Kreuzkapelle nearby dates from 1725. It features a stone statue of a seated Mary from the early 18th century. Inside is a painted wooden crucifixion group. Saints Urban and Donatus flank it. It was probably built on the site of a 1657 image post.
The Pfarrkirche der heiligen Kunigunde is more than a building. It is a symbol of faith hope and the enduring strength of a community. It has faced destruction but time and time again has been rebuilt and restored. It’s a beautiful testimony to the power of faith and perseverance. Its history and the story of Saint Kunigunde are forever intertwined.