Wallfahrtskirche Altenmarkt

Altenmarkt - the oldest settlement in the upper Triestingtal valley - possibly already existed before the Babenberg Margrave Leopold III brought this important dominion to Austria in 1136. The inhabitants of Altenmarkt at that time were mainly craftsmen and traders. As the roads to Gölsental and Styria - which began at today's Gerichtsberg - met here, it was an important transportation hub.
The Mariazell monastery in the Vienna Woods built a church of St. John in the Romanesque style for the inhabitants, which is first mentioned in 1260.
In the 15th century, the church was generously extended; a new presbytery with a widely branched ribbed vault and murals was built. At the end of the 18th century, the nave and tower were finally rebuilt and the interior renewed. The high altar was acquired from the abandoned Carmelite monastery in Wiener Neustadt, the side cross altar from the Mauerbach Charterhouse.
With these small special features, the Altenmarkt church is one of the most exciting buildings in the region!

From the 17th century, Altenmarkt became a pilgrimage station on the "Via Sacra" to Mariazell in Styria. Numerous wayside shrines also date back to the pilgrimage period, especially from the 17th and 18th centuries.