Wallfahrtskirche Maria Seesal

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.