For decades, Jetzelsdorf could have had a new church—but something always got in the way. As early as 1822, plans were made to build a new church next to the newly established cemetery, but disagreements prevented the project from moving forward. It wasn’t until the old church in the town center became so dilapidated in the 1970s that continuing to use it was hardly justifiable that the decision was finally made.
Architect Hans Hoffmann designed a building that deliberately breaks with tradition: a square central structure with a pyramidal roof, whose open roof truss remains visible inside the church—supported by diagonal concrete beams. Above the entrance, tower-like reinforced concrete slabs replace the classic church tower; they also house the bells. On September 5, 1976, the church was consecrated by Coadjutor Archbishop Franz Jachym. The construction costs of four million schillings were shared by the parish, the Archdiocese of Vienna, and Göttweig Abbey, into which the parish has been incorporated since its founding in 1784.
What has been preserved from the old church: Parts of the interior come from the previous building. The Baroque high altar cross—reworked in the 1930s—has been preserved, as has a statue of Mary Immaculate from the first half of the 18th century and a Josephine-style baluster baptismal font with a fluted basin. In 1986, the organ built by Friedrich Heftner was added.
The church is dedicated to the Feast of the Assumption and to Saint Benedict and is located in the Retz-Pulkautal deanery of the Archdiocese of Vienna.
Also worth a visit: the Wine Church in the town center
No one wanted to tear down the old parish church from 1707, which had lost its function due to the construction of the new building—and the historic preservation office would never have approved it anyway. And so, after some initial disagreement, the residents of Jetzelsdorf settled on an unusual solution: The old church was repurposed as the “Wine Church” and inaugurated in 1976 as a village and event center.
