Parish Church

A document from the year 823 mentions two churches in Saxen. In addition to the church in Saxen, there was probably a second church in the village of Hofkirchen. In 1147, the parish of Saxen became a tithe foundation of the newly founded Waldhausen Abbey, to which it was subject until it was abolished in 1792. Since then, Saxen has belonged to the diocese of Linz.

The parish church in Saxen is dedicated to St Stephen and is a two-aisled Gothic hall church with a Romanesque core. It was probably built between the middle of the 12th century and around 1530. An interesting Romanesque stone sculpture next to the north portal of the church is a reminder of the church's construction. This monk's head with a hood could represent the builder, who probably came from Waldhausen Abbey. In the presbytery, two windows with Gothic stained glass are worthy of note. They show Christ on the Mount of Olives and the beheading of St John. In addition to a beautiful baroque high altar, there is also a baroque altar of St Anne and a neo-Gothic altar of St Mary in the church. The remarkable rococo pulpit is decorated with Christ and the four evangelists. The tombstones of this family, which are attached to the inside and outside of the church walls, are a reminder of the close connection with the lordship of Clam. A keystone in the vault and the organ loft shows the first coat of arms of the Perger family of Clam Castle: a naked virgin. The top of the massive church tower was given its present form in 1855.

The former church in Hofkirchen was first mentioned by name in 1227. This place of worship was dedicated to the patron saint of shipping, St Nicholas, as the main channel of the Danube used to be further north, near Hofkirchen.

The church once belonged to a secular manor (Clam?) and later became a branch church of Saxen. For a long time it was the burial place of the Lords of Clam. The church was closed in 1784 and demolished a few years later.