The Chapel

The chapel is the most magnificent building of Kreuzenstein castle and also a gem of sacral medieval craftsmanship, exemplifying the great collector’s passion and the art-historical expertise of the castle’s rebuilder.

The wings of the magnificent oak door of the entrance show a relief depicting Virgin Mary and St. Elizabeth: a replica of the famous late gothic church door of the Church of the Assumption in Irrsdorf in Salzburg/Flachgau, created by an unknown Salzburg carver around the year 1408.

The most impressive exhibit of the chapel is a gothic winged altar, composed of 47 original wooden panels from the 15th century, created by the Tyrolean sculptor Johann Grissemann of Imst and set by the Munich painter Alois Müller.

The ivory figure of Christ at the altar originates from Barcelona, the interior of the tabernacle is decorated with gold embroidery personally created by Countess Lucia Wilczek, a daughter of the castle's proprietor. The painted tapestry behind the altar is a replica of the famous Regensburg Carpet of the 14th century. The precious glass paintings of the 30 panels of the slender lancet windows are works of the 15th century, some originating from the castle chapel in Graz/Austria. The chapel’s oldest pieces can probably be dated back to the 8th century: a stone relief depicting an early Christian baptism behind the Romanesque baptismal font decorated with ribbon ornaments, and a statue of St. Roland from the 11th century next to the front door. Two pointed arches on the south wall separate the chapel from a semi-circular room with a vaulted dome whose rear wall is supported by pillars of Kitzsteinhorn granite. The dome shows mosaic depictions of the Madonna of San Marco in Venice and two angels from Torcello.