The History and Art of the Frauenberg Pilgrimage Church
Here you will find information on the history of the Frauenberg pilgrimage church and our parish
The tradition surrounding the origins of the pilgrimage
About 6 km west of Admont, a solitary wooded hill rises on the left bank of the River Enns. At its highest point, 130 m above the valley floor, stands the parish and pilgrimage church of Frauenberg, visible from afar. The „Kulm-Berg“ came into the possession of the Benedictine Abbey of Admont, founded in 1074, at a very early stage. However, the origins of the Marian pilgrimage to the Frauenberg pilgrimage church remain largely shrouded in the mists of history.
An ancient tradition, first recorded in writing in the 17th century, describes how it came to be: in the spring of 1404, when the River Enns was once again in flood, its waters carried a wood-carved statue of the Virgin Mary. It became caught in the undergrowth at the foot of the Kulm. A luminous apparition the following night eventually led to the discovery of the statue; it was the Saturday before the second Sunday after Easter. The abbot and the members of the Admont monastery carried the statue into the collegiate church. The next day, however, it had disappeared, and was found once more at the foot of the Kulm. This happened a second and a third time, so that people saw it as a sign from God.
Abbot Hartnid Gleusser of Admont therefore initially built a wooden chapel for the statue of the Virgin Mary on the summit of Mount Kulm. This soon proved to be too small, so it was replaced by a larger stone church.
The history of the Frauenberg pilgrimage church in the 15th century
In 1410, a document mentions the church on the Kulm for the first time, on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone for the new Gothic building. In 1420, the name ‘Unser Frawnperg’ appears for the first time. In 1423, Abbot Georg Lueger founded a Corpus Christi brotherhood at the pilgrimage church; in the same year, its choir was completed and consecrated.
In the first half of the 15th century, under Abbot Andreas von Stettheim, the church underwent a redesign. On 5 August 1447, the Bishop of Lavant, Theobald Schweinpeck, finally performed a rededication and, in doing so, also established the church’s patronal feast: The Presentation of the Virgin Mary (depiction of Mary in the Temple, commemorated on 21 November). Sources name Niklas Velbacher, the chief master builder of the Admont building workshop, as the architect of the first Gothic structure. As devotion to the Virgin Mary grew, pilgrims soon began to flock to the site, and miracles were also reported. The parish of Frauenberg is documented as early as the 16th century. Since then, the Benedictines of Admont have ministered to the parish without interruption.
The Counter-Reformation and the Baroque period
The revival of the Frauenberg pilgrimage church during the Counter-Reformation was accompanied by extensive building work. This led to the creation of a new high altar (1648) by Christoph Paumgartner (now the high altar case) and a vicarage; the windows from the 1640 building have been uncovered in the pilgrimage shop. After 1682, the Baroque extension of the nave, a significant enlargement of the vicarage and the construction of a tower followed. Under the abbots Urban Weber and Adalbert Heuffler von Rasen und Hohenbühel, the pilgrimage site largely took on its present form. On 2 July 1687, the remodelled church building was consecrated. It was also during this period that the castle-like vicarage took on the form that still exists today. Inside, there are magnificently furnished rooms, some of which serve as the residence of the parish priest (Superior).
Abbot Antonius II of Mainersberg commissioned the construction of the two eastern towers and the purchase of a new set of bells in 1719. He also had the large pilgrims’ hostel (now the Caritas care home) built in 1724. The abbey’s sculptor, Josef Stammel, created a new altar of grace in 1740. The pilgrimage site enjoyed its greatest heyday in the 18th century, when up to 60,000 pilgrims were recorded each year.
From Josephinism to the post-war period
Unlike many others, the pilgrimage church remained open during the Josephinist period, as it also served as a parish church. In 1865, several members of the Admont Monastery stayed temporarily in the vicarage. This was because a devastating fire had severely damaged the abbey, rendering it uninhabitable. During the Nazi era, the pilgrimage was suspended. Furthermore, a group within Rosenberg’s staff harboured plans to take up residence in the vicarage.
After the end of the war, pilgrimages to the Frauenberg resumed. Under Abbot Bonifaz Zölß of Admont, the church was subsequently restored. In 1968, an educational centre was established in the vicarage, but it had to close in 1996 due to structural defects. Under Abbot Benedikt Schlömicher, the vicarage was subsequently extensively restored in accordance with historical principles. A pilgrimage shop and the parish office were established on the ground floor.
The Frauenberg Pilgrimage Church since 2013
From January 2013 to December 2014, the abbot of Admont Benedictine Abbey commissioned an extensive restoration of the church’s interior during the tenure of Father Winfried Schwab. The total budget amounted to 3 million euros. Among other things, ground-penetrating radar was used during the work. This revealed a priest’s grave in front of the pulpit – a grave that was known to exist but whose exact location had not been pinpointed. Alongside the altars, frescoes and pews, the Baroque organ was also restored. The church was finally reopened on 7 December 2014 by Egon Kapellari, Bishop of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau.
In September 2015, the current Superior and parish priest of Frauenberg, Fr Maximilian Schiefermüller, took up his post. The parish of Frauenberg now forms, together with Ardning and the Parish of Hall near Admont a parish federation. In 2016, the Holy Year of Mercy, a Holy Door was opened in Frauenberg. In addition, three bells were added to the existing five-bell peal. In addition, tree-felling work took place around the church, a new Marian chapel was built in the „Garden of Intercession“, and several rooms in the Baroque presbytery were refurbished. From April to October 2018, a thorough external renovation of the church took place. In the process, it regained its Baroque, cream-coloured façade. The work was concluded with the consecration of the „Linz Bell“ by the Abbot of Admont.
Earthquake, Altar and Ambo 2021
On 20 January 2021, an earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale struck, with its epicentre in the immediate vicinity of the church. This caused damage to the vicarage: windows were shattered and some of the ceiling paintings cracked.
In 2021, a new celebratory altar and an ambo were added to the church’s interior. These replaced the previous temporary fixtures. Both pieces were crafted by master stonemason Gerhard Fraundorfer, the master stonemason at Linz’s Mariendom. He used black Spanish limestone, which blends harmoniously into the interior. At the same time, the design echoes the forms of the space. Abbot Gerhard Hafner consecrated the altar and ambo on 21 November 2021.
