Parish Church of St. Stefan (Finkenstein am Faaker See)

Parish Church of St. Stefan, south-west view

inside view

Interior view of the organ gallery

The high altar

The parish church of St. Stefan is in the parish of Finkenstein am Faaker See and is dedicated to St. Stephen consecrated. It belongs to the dean's office of Villach-Land in the diocese of Gurk.

history

The oldest documented mentions of the church come from the years 1340 and 1385. The current Gothic church building dates from 1472, it was built under the direction of master Jörg von Klagenfurt. After the fire of 1764, in which the church was badly affected, the church was given its present shape by 1774 by adding the aisles. The tower also received its onion helmet. The last interior restoration was carried out in 1996, and the north chapel was adapted to the presumed color scheme of the 18th century. The re-erection of the Gothic winged altar of the branch church Sankt Gregor in Goritschach took place in the apse-like niche of the north chapel.

Building

The interior is now a three-aisled nave with a significantly narrower east-side choir with a five-eighth end. Valentin Oman created the glass windows in 2008 with the glass artist Daniel Moser.

Stained glass window by Valentin Oman in the choir
Right glass window in the choir
Glass window in the south aisle

Facility

The baroque high altar in the apse of the choir is a columnar altar with St. Stephen as the central figure. Assistant figures are the apostles Peter on the left and Paul on the right. Further out there are figures of John the Baptist on the left and St. Joseph on the right. In the essay the Holy Trinity is represented figuratively.

The left side altar, the Madonna- Altar, is a Gothic winged altar. In the middle shrine there is a protective mantle Madonna with child, in the left wing St. Katharina, in the right wing St. Margarethe. The altar is from the workshop of the Villach master Heinrich and dated 1517.

The right side altar, the Mariensiebenschmerz altar, is a baroque columned altar. It was probably built before 1750 and survived the fire. There is a pietà in the shrine . The two female assistant figures are missing attributes. The seven small pictures in the frame show the seven sorrows of Mary. In the essay there is a holy main representation.

Further furnishings include a baptismal font, the bronze lid of which is crowned with a baptismal group, and paintings of the Stations of the Cross.

Protective mantle Madonna altar
Marian Siebenache Altar
Baptismal font
Station of the cross

The so-called Finkenstein relief is set up in the vestibule . It is assumed that the sandstone relief was built between 1360 and 1390. Presumably it is an architectural detail. Either it was a choir fence, a kind of medieval rood screen (see Grado or Aquilea ), or it was part of a gallery balustrade (parapet). It is entirely possible that there is another counterpart. For example the Visitation of Mary and an angel blowing a trumpet as well as the martyrdom of St. Lawrence. Where this relief comes from is completely unclear. In any case, it is unique in its form .

One side shows the Annunciation (Mary heavily destroyed) and the Archangel Michael as a soul weigher. The other side shows the martyrdom of St. Stephen, as described in the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 7: "... they shouted out loud, covered their ears and rushed at him like a man ..." ( Acts 7.57).

On the far left the death of Saint Stephen is depicted, the baby in a baby symbolizes the soul. The soul leaves the dead body and the angels await them above. "May angels accompany you to paradise ..." This is how the church still prays over the graves today. The Jews are clearly represented, they wear the pointed hats that were prescribed for them in the Middle Ages.