Pfarrkirche Esternberg

The parish of Esternberg is one of the oldest and largest in the former Bavarian Innviertel region. A small wooden church already existed around the turn of the millennium. It was built under Bishop Altmann of Passau (1065 - 1091) in the Romanesque style. The presacristy and the baptismal font probably also date from this period. The church, which was extended in 1471 in the Gothic style, burnt down in July 1572, probably due to a lightning strike. The presbytery has been preserved in the late Gothic style, while the nave was built in the Baroque style. The so-called Chapel of the Cross with the Mount of Olives and the inner sacristy were probably added at the beginning of the 18th century. In the church, which is dedicated to St Bartholomew the Apostle, there are valuable gravestones which are of general interest due to their great age and art-historical value.