The Parish of Dürnstein
The first recorded mention of Dürnstein occurs in the early eleventh century and in 1347 it was granted a town charter. A parish has existed here since 1289. The former parish church of St Cunigunde was largely demolished in 1803, leaving just the foundation walls along with the nave, the Romanesque tower and the choir with its rounded apse. The space freed up by the demolition has been used as a cemetery ever since. The passing bell in the tower is still rung when a death occurs.
The Abbey Church, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary’s assumption into Heaven (patronal festival: 15 August), has also served as the parish church since 1745. You can find out more about the history of the abbey under the menu item History.
The Parish of Dürnstein Today
In 1788, the Abbey was dissolved and handed over as a parish to the Augustinian Canons of Herzogenburg Abbey, who possess it to this day. The Catholic parish of Dürnstein has around 250 members. For a long time, the parish was run by diocesan priests. However, for the last 30 years it has once again been in the charge of an Augustinian Canon from Herzogenburg Abbey, Father Hugo Rafael De Vlaminck.
There are no set office hours. Appointments can be made on an individual basis with Father Hugo Rafael De Vlaminck.
In keeping with the motto of the Dürnstein and Loiben joint parish newsletter – The Church lives through you – we invite everyone to get involved and bring their own skills and talents to our parish communities!
Father Hugo is also in charge of pastoral care in the parish of Loiben. This means that the two parishes work closely together, for example, on first communion and confirmation, liturgical feast days, the Night of 1,000 Lights and the Seniors’ Afternoons. There are also regular celebrations of the Word of God.
Highlights of the Dürnstein liturgical year include Corpus Christi, the Long Night of Churches, the patronal festival and Blessing of the Herbs on 15 August, and the Harvest and Parish Festival at the end of September. The Dürnstein church choir, led by Josef Ertl, provides musical accompaniment for feast day Masses.
As of recently, the redesigned Parish Hall at Dürnstein Abbey provides a space for many parish activities, such as the church coffee morning and Soup Sunday. The Dürnstein altar servers also meet here at regular intervals.
Mass every Sunday and public holiday at 9.30 a.m.
You can find current events and any changes to the schedule in the
events calendar.
Parish news of the parishes Dürnstein and Loiben
The parishes of Dürnstein and Loiben cooperate closely. As of this the parish news are integrate both parishes as well and are published 4 times a year. Enjoy the read!
Pfarrblatt Ausgabe 67 (Februar 2022) (952.4 KB) Pfarrblatt Ausgabe 68 (Mai 2022) (1.5 MB) Pfarrblatt Ausgabe 69 (August 2022) (2.2 MB) Pfarrblatt Ausgabe 71 (Februar 2023) (1.1 MB) Pfarrblatt Ausgabe 72 (Mai 2023) (1.5 MB) Pfarrblatt Ausgabe 73 (August 2023) (1.7 MB) Pfarrblatt Ausgabe 74 (November 2023) (731.5 KB) Pfarrblatt Ausgabe 75 (Februar 2024) (940.4 KB) Pfarrblatt Ausgabe 76 (Mai 2024) (1.0 MB) Pfarrblatt Ausgabe 77 (August 2024) (1.1 MB)