Nikolauskirche, Parish church in Altach, Austria
The Nikolauskirche is a Roman Catholic parish church in Altach, built from 1956 to 1960 to plans by architect Norbert Kopf and consecrated in 1962. It is a hall building with a lower church, a recessed and raised choir under a flat gable roof, and a free-standing bell tower. The hall has a gable-shaped wooden ceiling, pilastered walls and clerestory windows; the stained glass was made by the Tyrolean Stained Glass Institute.
A chapel in Altach was documented in 1591 as a branch of Götzis. A church built to plans by master builder Weiß was consecrated as a parish church in 1825. Architect Norbert Kopf's replacement was built from 1956 to 1960 and consecrated in 1962; the church is a protected monument.
The parish is named after Saint Nicholas of Myra and belongs to the Deanery of Rankweil in the Diocese of Feldkirch. Since 2011 the three-manual Rieger organ of 1972 has been heard regularly in the concerts of the Altacher Orgelsoireen. The Marienkapelle below the church holds paintings by Hans Scherling showing the Visitation, the Nativity and the Flight into Egypt.
The free-standing bell tower stands apart from the hall building, and the cemetery with its 19th-century crucifix and Emil Gehrer's war memorial lies to the south of the church. The lower church, the Marienkapelle, holds Hans Scherling's paintings. The three-manual Rieger organ, built in 1972, is heard in the Altach organ soirées held since 2011.
The free-standing bell tower is separate from the hall building, and the church has a lower church, the Marienkapelle, with paintings by Hans Scherling of the Visitation, the Nativity, the Flight into Egypt and the Pietà. The three-manual organ built by Rieger Orgelbau in 1972 has been heard in the Altach organ soirées since 2011.
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