Catholic Parish Church & Charnel House
Catholic Parish Church & Charnel House features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Hallstatt. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Hallstatt Hallstatt guide
About Catholic Parish Church & Charnel House
The hilltop Catholic church, home to a late-Gothic winged altar, and its adjoining charnel house, where about 1,200 skulls rest, many hand-painted with the names of Hallstatt's dead.
The Catholic parish church of Hallstatt, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and popularly known as Maria am Berg, stands on the hillside above the market square and was largely completed around 1505. Its outstanding treasure is a late-Gothic winged altar attributed to the Astl workshop of Gmunden, carved around 1515 and regarded as one of the most important of its kind in Upper Austria; the church holds more than one Gothic altar.
Beside the church, in St Michael's Chapel, lies the Charnel House, or Beinhaus. It holds roughly 1,200 skulls, about 610 of them hand-painted with names, dates and wreaths and arranged by family, one of the largest such collections known. The practice arose because the tiny lakeside cemetery had no room and cremation was not permitted; graves were reopened and the cleaned skulls preserved so the dead stayed named. The last painted skull was placed in 1995.
Did you know? The adjoining charnel house holds roughly 1,200 skulls, about 610 of them hand-painted with the person's name, dates and a wreath and arranged by family, one of the largest painted-skull collections known in Europe.
How long is a visit to Catholic Parish Church & Charnel House?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Catholic Parish Church & Charnel House. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Catholic Parish Church & Charnel House worth your time?
Catholic Parish Church & Charnel House is among the 11 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Hallstatt, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Hallstatt
Updated:
Hear the story of Catholic Parish Church & Charnel House
Preview the Hallstatt tour free in the Gingerguide app.