Parish church Saint-Nicholas Balzers, Parish church in Balzers, Liechtenstein
The Parish Church of Saint Nicholas is a neo-Romanesque building of Balzner marble, a local stone quarried nearby. A tall saddle-roofed hall connects to a lower, apse-ended choir; the sacristy adjoins the choir's east side and the tower stands at the west. The main entrance is on the north side, with access also through an east-side arcade, and a cemetery chapel has stood on the east side since 1992.
The new parish church was built from 1909 to 1912 to replace the old church, which had been destroyed by a village fire in 1795 and rebuilt in 1808. The foundation stone was laid on 24 October 1909 to designs by princely court architect Gustav Neumann. The church was consecrated on 12 November 1912. The old church was demolished in 1926, except for its tower.
The church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, whose patronage of the old parish church is documented only from 1808, when the rebuilt church was consecrated in his honour. The parish rights passed from the owners of Gutenberg Castle to the municipality of Balzers in 1824, which then had to maintain the church buildings.
The church is located on Kirchenstrasse 10 near the New Cemetery in the village center. Visitors can explore the building during the day, and regular services are held for the community.
The church was built from Balzner marble quarried in a local stone pit; the masonry was done by a master mason from Schaan, the roofing by a craftsman from Dornbirn. Of the roughly 300,000 kronen cost, the princely house paid about 220,000. At the 1912 consecration the nave was nearly empty for lack of money.
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