Three-Church Trail: Weiten - Heiligenblut

Description

The fortified church of St. Stephen, which is also the mother parish of the southern Waldviertel, is one of the most impressive church buildings in Lower Austria. Weiten and the church and parish were founded in the 11th century and were located in the heartland of historic Austria under the Babenberg dynasty. The Gothic nave with its Romanesque core was surrounded by a defensive wall in the 15th century. The Gothic stained glass windows from the 14th century are particularly valuable. The archway under the sacristy and the free-standing church tower are also worthy of note.

The small hamlet of Heiligenblut with its pilgrimage church of St. Andrew is the heart of the market town of Raxendorf. According to legend, the late Gothic hall church from the 15th century was founded after a miracle of the host in 1411. The baroque tower with its blue clocks, the free-standing original chapel, the fine cross and ribbed vaults and the strikingly steep roof are remarkable. In the late Gothic choir is the famous eight-metre-high stone sacrament house with its filigree tracery. The actual heart of the church, the Gothic altar - the Roggendorf Altar - is located in Belvedere Palace in Vienna.

Starting point of the tour

Weiten, fortified church St. Stephan

Destination point of the tour

Heiligenblut, pilgrimage church St. Andreas

Route description Three-Church Trail: Weiten - Heiligenblut

We start at the original parish of St. Stephan, go through the archway under the church and the sacristy towards the town center. We cross the Weitenbach and arrive at the historic pillory square. Here we cross the main road and go diagonally left, following a small passage towards the forest. Now we ascend in switchbacks towards Eibetsberg and the Jauerling plateau. Once at the top, we reach a country road and keep left. After a few minutes, you can turn left to visit an old restored lime kiln. Back on the road, we continue following the country road. We reach an intersection. Here the Three-Church Trail continues straight ahead towards Maria Laach and the pilgrimage church Maria Heimsuchung. We turn left into the forest. Mostly gently downhill, we now follow the forest path to the quaint hamlet of Zehentegg. At the small bridge, we turn left, follow a short section of the country road. After about 200 m, we turn right and enter the beautiful Zehentegg meadow and field landscape. After a few minutes, we reach the White Marterl, a lovely viewpoint. We follow the path straight ahead and reach the first houses of Heiligenblut, where we turn left, cross the stream, and arrive at the pilgrimage church of St. Andreas.