Chapter 14 - Church on the Hill, Donnerskirchen

I love the old churches over here, and from time to time I'll do a blog entry on one of them. Psalm 121:1 says, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help." I've always loved that psalm, and it's fitting that so many of the village churches are at the highest point in the town. I'm sure that was by design so that medieval man would always be aware of the church, wherever he was and whatever he was doing. It probably also made him feel more secure that God was watching over him and protecting him from harm. The village clock was frequently on the church steeple as it is on this one. And from observing the old walls that enclose large churchyards and the church itself, it probably also served a defensive purpose. If raiders came, the villagers could take shelter in the churchyard. Conquering armies have stormed through here, beginning with the Celts and later the Romans. Ottoman Empire armies were stopped twice east of Vienna (somewhere in this area), once in the 16th century and again in the 17th. This was also the most western point the marauding Magyars and Mongols reached in earlier centuries. So protection was a very real issue.

This church is called Bergkirche (mountain/hill church) and is located in Donnerskirchen, a village a few kilometers east of Eisenstadt. I love this village; in the oldest part the winding roads are narrow, only one car's width, and twist here and there, up and down.

Bergkirche from the highway outside of Donnerskirchen


From the village square you climb a steep (I thought it was steep)
lane, then up four flights of steps to the church. This picture
was taken about halfway up the steps.


The front of the church.


Wall surrounding church and churchyard.
You can imagine a guard peering out the slit
on the lookout for invaders.


View of the village from the side of the church.


These Crucifixion statues are behind the church.


This says, "Funeral, High praise to [the person], dear friendship, 1630."


This dedication to two lost daughters really touched my heart.
It begins, "To our beloved children."


This says "Commemorative Tablet," then says it's for the noble
ancestry of the Rainprecht family (notice it's men only), from
1570 to current day, in the villages of Purbach and Donnerskirchen.


This is the central aisle of the church. They're always locked,
we've been told, to prevent theft of religious artifacts.


The official name of the church is Bergkirche,
but the patron saint is St. Martin.