Parish Church "St. Bartholomäus"

The first church built in Unterach around 990 was most likely a small wooden church dedicated to St. Bartholomew. A first written reference to a parish in Unterach was found in a deed of acquisition of the estate Vaschang from the late 14th century. The gothic edifice preceding today's church originated in the second half of the 15th century. Parts of it are preserved in the presbytery (sanctuary).


After the reformation, the initially catholic parish developed into a completely protestant one and remained so until the 2nd half of the 16th century. Hans Eysele was its first known protestant pastor (1570-1581). In 1573, he had the first parish house built in 1573 in the exact same place of today's parish house built in 1978.
Official efforts of counter-reformation led to the establishment of a catholic priest around 1600 and since the 1630s the parish has had a catholic majority again. Renovated in 1633 the church nave was significantly enlarged in the late 18th century. In 1783, the church got its present shape. Towards the end of the 19th century it was renovated and a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes was added to the structure. The most recent renovation started  in 1984 and was concluded in 1987, in time for the 1000th anniversary of the parish in 1990.