Pfarrkirche Faistenau

Faistenau, Salzburg

In 1324, the nobles of Thurn built a church in Schwandt. This was consecrated to Saint James. The Baroque altars as well as free-standing sculptures of the Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa created by the sculptor Meinrad Guggenbichler make the church with its small Karner (ossuary) and the late Gothic church tower with a Baroque onion dome a unique sight in the region. The parish church of St. James with its widely visible tower is a landmark of our community. The church interior invites visitors to linger. Every stylistic epoch has contributed to the design of this house of God, so that over the centuries a harmoniously grown total work of art has emerged. We do not know what the Faistenau church originally looked like. What is certain is that it already stood in its place; however, it was much smaller and certainly somewhat lower than today. Presumably, the lower four tower floors, the Gothic west portal, and the vaulting of the nave with parallel ribs still date from this first construction period. A special feature of the Faistenau church is the ossuary, the Karner, which is still preserved here. Located on the south side of the nave, one can look in from the outside through a grate. In times when the cemetery was still much smaller, bones had to be exhumed to make room for new graves. The bones were labeled and housed in the Karner.