5 elements museum in Waidhofen/Ybbs, © 5-Elemente-Museum

Wallfahrtskirche Maria Seesal

Church

Description

The Lower Austrian pilgrimage church of Maria Seesal welcomes its visitors - as a pilgrimage destination with far-reaching views.

Legendary origins and a simple, yet remarkable interior characterize Maria Seesal. As a historical monument of art, it offers its guests much worth seeing. From its place on a wooded Kogel group in front of the valley constriction of the Schwarze Ois, the church looks down in a friendly manner on the settlement of Schwarzois in Ybbsitz. Thanks to its idyllic location away from busy roads, it is popular today for pilgrimages as well as weddings.

A particularly beautiful story distinguishes its origin: In 1863, when a certain Helene Wochner had a dream about a church with an image of the Virgin Mary, she found this image in a mill - and placed it on a slope. As a result, a wooden chapel was built here first. About ten years later, this was replaced by a small neo-baroque chapel made of stone. Finally, it was the descendants of Helena Wochner, mentioned at the beginning of this article, who built an inn to revive the pilgrimage - and arranged for the construction of the present pilgrimage church of Maria Seesal. It was completed in 1906.

Architecturally, the simple late-historical hall church with a double-tower facade and a three-bay hall room stands out. The high altar dates from 1740 - and was transferred as a former side altar of the basilica Sonntagberg. Also worth seeing are the chandeliers and holy figures from Gresten, beautifully carved pews, elaborate stained glass and the organ from 1984.

Location and how to get there