Wallfahrtskirche Maria Taferl, Catholic pilgrimage church on Taferl Mountain, Lower Austria

Wallfahrtskirche Maria Taferl is a baroque basilica standing 233 meters above the Danube River, offering views across the Mostviertel region and toward the Alpine peaks. The structure combines architectural grandeur with its hilltop position, making it visible from considerable distances.

Building began in 1660 under Georg Gerstenbrandt, with Carlo Lurago taking over direction from 1671. Jakob Prandtauer replaced the wooden dome over the crossing with a stone one between 1707 and 1711. The church was consecrated in 1724 and elevated to a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1947.

Inside, the ceiling displays frescoes showing biblical scenes while the walls feature images of healings and spiritual events. These depictions reveal what pilgrims and visitors have come seeking and experienced here over many centuries.

The basilica is generally open to visitors and offers guided tours, with the best visits typically occurring outside peak times. Getting in touch ahead of your visit helps clarify access conditions and current opening hours.

The name Maria Taferl comes from a wooden image of the Pietà carved from an oak and set up in 1642 by Alexander Schinagel, a man said to have been healed there. The old oak was destroyed by fire in 1755 and the carving was damaged. On the east side of the church square stands the Taferlstein, a pre-Christian sacrificial stone moved there in 1959 and ringed by a stone balustrade dated 1736.