Ruins of St. Pankratius Church (Nöstach)

In 1136, two nobles from Nöstach, the brothers Heinrich and Rapoto from the Haderiche family, supported by Margrave Leopold III, donated the Benedictine monastery of Cella Sancte Marie - later Klein-Mariazell. In addition to extensive estates in the north of Lower Austria, they also gave him their urbs propria (Latin for “own city”, “big city”) - Schwarzenburg, which they had inherited from their parents. The term urbs was often misinterpreted in historiography and the legend arose that Nöstach was once a city like Rome, built on seven hills. But this was not one of those, but rather the castle of the two brothers, to which some serfs also belonged. Presumably this was where the fortified church ruin St. Pankraz is today; more recent excavations indicate this.
In the course of the Josephine reforms around 1785, the local churches of St. Pankraz and St. Martin were found to be superfluous, abandoned and their masonry released for demolition.

According to tradition, Saint Pancras, to whom this former chapel was dedicated, was publicly executed at the end of the 3rd / beginning of the 4th century under Emperor Diocletian for his Christian faith. The martyr's body was buried on the Roman Via Aurelia - in the catacombs later named after him - under the present church of "San Pancrazio".
The memorial day of Saint Pancras is May 12th, and in popular piety he is one of the three so-called "Ice Saints", together with Servatius and Boniface (in some areas supplemented by "Cold Sophie" one day later).

04/24/2020 - Erected on a mountain hill and hidden in the forest, the remains of the former Pankratius Church are still impressive today. It was built in the 13th century and desecrated in 1784 after it was no longer needed. Since then the church has been deserted and decayed. Despite the advanced decay, the church ruins are still well worth seeing and a visit is recommended.