Dreifaltigkeitskirche

The Paurachurch

Built 1714-1717 by Johann M. Prunner from Linz, based on an idea by Lambach Abbot Maximilian Pagl; artistic decoration 1718-1725.

The reason for the construction of the church was the plague of 1713, during which Pagl had vowed the church. The abbot wanted a place of worship that would symbolise the One and Triune God in its layout and artistic decoration. The circle and the equilateral triangle surrounding it are the symbols through which the builder expressed his grandiose idea already in the ground plan of the church: the circle as a symbol of the one, infinite, eternal God and the equilateral triangle as a symbol of the Trinity. The special nature of the ground plan, which reflects unity in trinity and trinity in unity through the triangle and inscribed circle, makes it possible to build three equal churches into one, for the glorification of the One God who rules in 3 persons. In the centre of each triangular leg, a gate invites you to enter the church. From each of the three gates, one reaches the three altars in the extended axis, which stand in semicircular apses at the apex of the triangle defined by the ground plan. Each altar has an organ on the gallery above the entrance, in honour of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The God the Father altar has as its theme the story of creation and the divine virtue of faith; the God the Son altar shows redemption and the virtue of hope; the Holy Spirit altar depicts the miracle of Pentecost and love. Pagl aimed for a building of the best quality in architecture and decoration and achieved this goal by engaging first-class artists. The Paura Church is an attempt to illustrate the profound mystery of God's essence, which defies imagination and cannot be represented - an extremely successful attempt that arouses amazement. The church is theologically-programmatically and stylistically a self-contained total work of art of the first rank, which represents the dogma of faith of the Most Holy Trinity in the highest perfection and artistically unique completion.

Our church is open between Easter and All Saints' Day from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. It is advisable to book in advance by telephone. Guided tours can be arranged by telephone.