The very name of the town tells its story: Pfaffendorf—“the village of the priests.” To this day, the church that gives shape to these origins stands in the heart of the town: the Gothic parish church of St. George.
Built in 1450, the church houses a special work of art inside: the altarpiece depicts St. George, to whom the Baby Jesus is handing a crown—painted around 1800 by Johann Höferl. The marbled side altars, with their Corinthian columns and speckled pediments, as well as several other paintings (such as The Holy Family or Christ on the Cross), are the work of the great Baroque artist Martin Johann Schmidt, whom posterity calls “Kremser Schmidt.”
The parish itself looks back on more than 700 years of independence—and its roots extend even further back: As a branch church of the Unternalb parish, it was a place of faith and community long before it became independent. Today it belongs to Göttweig Abbey, with which it has been connected for centuries.
When Angels Carried Stones: The Legend of the Founding of St. George’s Church in Pfaffendorf
High above the Pulkau Valley once lived a powerful count. He wanted to crown his dominion: a church, built of stone, right next to his castle. The farmers from nearby Peigarten were sent to fetch heavy stones from the Waldviertel—and they obeyed.
But the next morning, all the building material had vanished. The men searched and finally found the stones down in the valley. They hauled the stones up the mountain once more. And again—during the night, silently, invisibly—they wandered back to the same spot. This repeated itself day after day. Finally, the people agreed: angels must have been at work during the night.
“I see that God does not want a church to stand next to my castle. So let us build it in the place He has designated,” the count said, submitting to God’s will. A few months later, the church stood—exactly where the angels had carried the stones.
A few years later, the castle, along with its entire surroundings, sank into the ground. The church still stands today.