Parish church in Bad Gleichenberg

"Church and monastery in the spa town of Bad Gleichenberg

The newly founded health resort Gleichenberg originally belonged to the parish of Trautmannsdorf. To save the spa guests the arduous journey to Trautmannsdorf to church, Count Wickenburg had the bark chapel built in the park in 1838. There the guests could attend a mass on Sunday. Soon the chapel was too small for the numerous spa guests. Therefore, Count Wickenburg bought a plot of land on a trachyte hill and planned to build a church with a monastery on it in 1841. The church and monastery were solemnly consecrated in 1845 and handed over to the care of the Franciscan Order. In 1888/1889, the son of the founder, Count Ottokar von Wickenburg, donated the entire area, church, monastery and surrounding land to the Franciscan Order.

In 1940, Father Fidelius Pfreundtner obtained a parish foundation for Bad Gleichenberg after the monastery was to be closed by the German Reich. The monastery and church were severely damaged in the spring of 1945. With the help of many donations and labor of the population, the church and monastery could be renovated after the war." Historical Tour of Bad Gleichenberg - Once & Now