Pfarrkirche Altmelon

The parish church of Altmelon stands in the village of Altmelon in the district of Zwettl, Lower Austria. It is dedicated to Saint James the Elder and belongs to the deanery of Zwettl within the Diocese of St Pölten. The building has been listed as a protected monument since the 20th century.

The church’s origins go back to a medieval hall built in the 13th or 15th century, which was remodelled in the 18th century. Records show the parish existed by 1374, though it became Protestant between 1563 and 1630 before reverting to Catholic control. The exterior mixes medieval and baroque features, with a 13th-century nave raised in the 18th century and a late-Gothic south-east tower topped by a spire added around 1900.

Inside, the nave is covered by a cross-ribbed vault supported on double pilasters, while the raised choir has a net-ribbed Gothic ceiling. The high altar is neo-Gothic, flanked by two Rococo side altars. The pulpit, made around 1783, is decorated with medallions of the Evangelists. A 1964 organ by Gregor Hradetzky sits above the baroque gallery. Outside, a Joseph II-era gravestone marks the resting place of a former pastor.