“The restoration of the parish church in Rohrbach was and is a challenge for the parish community,” says Pastor Alfred Höfler and is pleased that “with the support of many volunteers and donors, we will succeed in bringing this project to a successful conclusion. It was not only necessary to renew the substance, but to create a worthy setting for joint celebrations again. ” Preparations began in 2017 and more than 20,000 hours of voluntary work have now been done. A total of four million euros will be invested. The “highlight” of the renovation is certainly the current restoration of the rich baroque furnishings.
For Petra Weiss, state curator of the Federal Monuments Office for Upper Austria, “the restoration makes sense and is also necessary so that the next generations can also enjoy this church and the works of art”.
Restoration necessary
The findings by experts, initiated by the Federal Monuments Office, have clearly shown that these planned works are not only useful, but also necessary, not only for “aesthetic” reasons, but above all for the preservation of the works of art.
The interior is characterized by stucco furnishings attributed to Bartolomeo Carlone and dating from around 1700, as well as the mighty and splendid baroque altar structures.
Albert Ettmayer, overall coordinator of the church renovation in the construction team, is pleased that all construction stages and the organ renovation have already been approved and are being implemented. However, he also clearly states that, especially with large projects in the final spurt, it means “to hold out” and the support of everyone is required in order to achieve the planned completion by Easter 2022. “The major visible construction steps could be completed, but now it is important to bundle all forces together in order to be able to complete the renovation of the parish church.”
In this sense, the voluntary helpers are still needed to bring the restored statues to their place, to carry out the necessary work and to continue to actively support the restorers.
But already at Christmas the church is again almost unrestrictedly available for church services. On December 16, almost all renovation work was completed and all scaffolding in the church interior was dismantled. Only the restoration of individual pictures and sculptures takes place over the winter in the restorers’ studios. The diocese and the monument office have already confirmed the necessary renovation steps in order to be able to complete the work. With the help of voluntary donors, but also public institutions, it will also be possible to master the last phase and overcome the last “hurdles” of the renovation.
Donations are still welcome: Raiffeisenbank: IBAN AT72 3441 0000 0601 3056 Sparkasse: IBAN AT35 2033 4000 0000 5306
For tax-deductible donations, payment slips are available in Rohrbach at the Raiffeisenbank, Sparkasse Mühlviertel West and the parish office.
Source: Nachrichten
