Pfarrkirche St. Nikola

Welcome to the parish church of St. Nikola an der Donau.

The Roman Catholic parish church of St. Nikola an der Donau stands elevated on a rocky outcrop on the Danube in the market town of St. Nikola an der Donau in the district of Perg in Upper Austria. The parish church, under the patronage of St. Nicholas of Myra, belongs to the deanery of Grein in the diocese of Linz. The church is a listed building.

According to legend, the church of St. Nicholas was founded by a high-ranking personage, a count of the realm, who was in mortal danger on the Danube near Inzell in a watercraft (flatboat or Zille) and was rescued by the people of Inzell. Dr. Benno Ulm mentions it as a "Romanesque country church" alongside 6 other churches still existing on the Danube and dates it to the year 1155. However, the present building still shows individual early Gothic remains, which suggest a brick chapel in the middle of the 13th century. However, the first St. Nicholas Chapel probably dates back much further. Researchers believe that it was founded as a mission chapel of St. Stephen's Church in Hartkirchen from Passau or Kremsmünster in the earliest times.

The church belonged to the diocese of Passau until the diocese of Linz was founded in 1784. In 1791, it was to be closed by government decree. Pastor Schreiner, however, managed to have the closure of the church lifted. In 1791, the church was handed over to the parish of Haibach ob der Donau by the diocese of Linz, as the parish priest at the time, Silvester Meyer, refused to take it over.
The church of St. Nikola is dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors.