Even the name of the village tells its story: Pfaffendorf - the village of the priests. At the heart of the village still stands the church that gives shape to these beginnings: the Gothic parish church of St. George.
Built in 1450, the church contains a special work of art inside: the altarpiece shows St. George being handed a crown by the infant Jesus - painted by Martin Johann Schmidt, the great Baroque artist who posterity simply calls "Kremser Schmidt".
The parish itself looks back on more than 700 years of independence - and its roots go back even further: as a branch church of the parish of Unternalb, it was a place of faith and community long before it became independent. Today it belongs to Göttweig Abbey, which has been associated with it for centuries.
When angels carried stones: the legend of the origins of St. George's Church in Pfaffendorf
A powerful count once lived high above the Pulkau valley. He wanted to crown his reign: a church, built of stone, right next to his castle. The farmers from nearby Peigarten were sent to bring heavy stones from the Waldviertel - and they obeyed.
But the next morning, all the building material had disappeared. The men searched for and finally found the stones down in the valley. They hauled the stones up the mountain again. And again - at night, silently, invisibly - they returned to the same place. This was repeated day after day. In the end, the people agreed: angels must have been at work at night.
"I see that God does not want a church to stand next to my castle. So let us build it in the place he has indicated," said the count, submitting to God's will. A few months later, the church stood - exactly where the angels had placed the stones.
A few years later, the castle sank into the ground along with its entire surroundings. The church still stands today.