Sankt Lorenzen bei Knittelfeld offers two specific points of interest for planning your trip: a church with several clearly dated historical references and a local connection to cycling. If you choose your stay based on your cultural interests, you can distinguish between the history of the church of St. Lorenzen and other religious landmarks in the wider municipality of Sankt Margarethen bei Knittelfeld. In St. Lorenzen itself, the Gruber sports shop also provides a named point of reference for bicycle repairs, accessories and spare parts.
Church of St. Lorenzen: History in Three Dates
The church of St. Lorenzen is mentioned in 1075 as a private chapel belonging to the free nobleman Hartnid von Feistritz. Its present appearance dates from around 1500. Another dated reference concerns the church’s carpentry: it dates from 1712 and was produced in the workshop of Michael Gantschnigg in Seckau.
These dates refer to different aspects: 1075 to the early mention, around 1500 to the church’s present appearance, and 1712 to the carpentry. If you are interested in the building’s history, you can distinguish between these periods rather than treating them as a single construction date. The attribution to 1712 complements the information about the architecture with a dated example of craftsmanship.
A Specific Connection to Cycling
The Gruber sports shop is located right in St. Lorenzen. It has its own bicycle workshop and a large range of cycling accessories and spare parts. This describes the local connection to cycling in concrete terms: workshop, accessories and spare parts. For your planning, this provides a practical focus alongside the church’s history; it is a different way to experience the area than through the church’s historical dates.
Church History in the Wider Municipality of Sankt Margarethen bei Knittelfeld
In the church of St. Benedikten, the remains of a Romanesque chapel were joined with those of a Gothic chapel to create a twin church with two presbyteries. The combination of the remains of the two chapels offers a different architectural perspective from the dating of the present appearance of the church of St. Lorenzen. The church of St. Benedikten also contains a Gothic winged altarpiece dating from between 1520 and 1530. The altar is therefore a distinct work of art, dated to a specific period, within the wider municipality.
The plague pole known as the “plague candle of St. Benedikten” is still a distinctive furnishing in the church in Benedikten. In remembrance of the plague, a solemn procession takes place in the wider municipality every year: on the tenth day after the Feast of Corpus Christi, on Sacred Heart Sunday. For several decades, the procession has once again been held on the Hochanger hill behind the church. If you want to include this event in your plans, check the date for the year in question.
Another named site in the wider municipality is a small chapel on the northern slope of the Fötschacher plateau. It is situated at an elevation of 863 m, is widely visible from the Mur Valley, and is popularly known as the “Berger-Kirchlein.” Its elevation, location and name distinguish it from the church architecture and furnishings in St. Benedikten.
Discover more destinations: Preg, Seckau, Kobenz, Spielberg, Bischoffeld, Knittelfeld, GroĂźlobming, Kleinlobming.
Back to the wider travel overview: Knittelfeld.
