Church ruins Virgilienberg

The church ruin of Virgilienberg is situated on a hill in the south of the city of Friesach, between the Deutschordenskirche and the Heiligenblutkirche. It was formerly the fortified complex of a provostry with a church.

Since the patron saint of the church was Saint Virgil, it cannot have been consecrated before his canonization in 1232. However, its first provost, Hartwig, is already mentioned in 1240. In the second half of the 13th century, the office of the vicedom came into the hands of the provosts. The provostry possessed a library of European renown.

In 1309, the provostry fell victim to flames for the first time. The walls that exist today date from the reconstruction of the church. In 1606, the provostry was dissolved. After another fire in 1752, only the choir of the church was roofed over in 1754. In 1786, the church was desecrated. The final decay of the church began after the last fire in 1816. Although efforts to secure the church ruin began in 1894, the triumphal arch collapsed in 1926.