Wallfahrtskirche zur Heiligen Theresia vom Kinde Jesu, Parish church in Ottakring, Austria
The Wallfahrtskirche zur Heiligen Theresia vom Kinde Jesu is a freestanding hall church built in 1928/1929 to plans by Robert Hartinger and Silvio Mohr. It measures 32.3 meters long, 16.9 meters high and up to 21.8 meters wide, with a squat tower rising 34.5 meters including the cross. The building stands on a high, steeply battered crimson-red base and has a rectangular nave with a wooden beam ceiling.
The foundation stone of the church, planned as a pilgrimage church for Starchant, was laid on 9 December 1928; the building was erected in 1928/1929 to plans by Robert Hartinger and Silvio Mohr. Cardinal Archbishop Friedrich Gustav Piffl consecrated it on 3 November 1929 in the presence of Federal President Wilhelm Miklas. In 1939 it was raised to the parish church of the new Pfarre Starchant.
The marble high altar originates from Wilhelminenberg Castle's chapel and displays a life-size statue of Saint Therese alongside two kneeling angel figures. This arrangement connects two important locations and makes the castle's presence felt within this sacred space.
The church stands at Mörikeweg 22 in Ottakring. Three entrances lead inside: the main portal, a two-leaf wooden door with a smaller door set into it, opens only for special occasions, while the single south door and the two-leaf north door serve regular visits. Behind the main portal an iron grille opens into the nave.
The church holds a relic of Saint Therese in the left side altar, and its organ, built by Johann M. Kauffmann in 1896, has five stops on one manual and pedal; it stands on the gallery above the main entrance.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,138 contributors worldwide.