Stainz Castle

The origins of Stainz Castle date back to 1229, when Leuthold von Wildon had a monastery and a small church built on the Schlossberg. The monastery was settled by canons from Seckau. Under Provost Jakob Rosolenz, the abbey experienced its heyday from 1596 to 1629. He reorganized the monastery and initiated the expansion of the church, which was enlarged between 1605 and 1629 and later received a Baroque interior. During this period, the main entrance of the church was moved from the west side to the east side, into the inner courtyard. After the demolition of St. James's Church in Stainz market around 1600, the abbey church became the parish church of Stainz. Further alterations and extensions to the monastery complex took place under Provost Georg Jöchlinger (1667–1683) and Johann Bernhard von Paumgarten (1683–1704).