A legend surrounds the origin of the church in St. Steben. In the villages around Lake Pressegger, dysentery raged a long time ago, and for this reason, the residents of the Gail valley planned the construction of a church. However, during the work at the originally planned location in the Förolach marsh, accidents kept happening.
They therefore believed that the chosen construction site was not the right one and looked for another location. They found it on a rock ledge above Köstendorf and Förolach. A goatherd had discovered bloody sawdust there, undoubtedly originating from the construction site in the Förolach marsh.
The population was convinced that this was a sign from God and built the church on the spot where the bloodstained sawdust lay. After completion of the church, no one is said to have died from dysentery in this area anymore.
St. Steben is also a well-known pilgrimage site. Single boys and girls who visit the service there on Easter Monday and pray for a spouse are allegedly able to marry soon afterward.
More than three decades ago, a residential and farm building stood on this beautiful viewpoint, where the Steiner family lived for a long time. They were in charge of the fire watch for the surrounding villages and sounded the alarm in the event of a fire by ringing the church bells.
The earthquakes in 1976 severely damaged the church as well as the adjacent building. The church had to remain closed until the renovation in 1982. Unfortunately, restoration of the partially collapsed residential and farm building was no longer possible.
At this spot, the architect DI Werner Moritsch from St. Stefan in Gailtal has built a beautiful farmhouse.
