Parish Church

Gothic parish church

The striking late Gothic building stands on a rocky outcrop above the Kettenbach stream at the lower end of the market square. The first documented mention of the existence of a church dates back to around 1260. Bad Zell became its own parish in 1366, but the fact that a church was founded much earlier can be deduced from the history of settlement in this area. The parish church of Bad Zell is dedicated to St John the Baptist. The round-arched south gate dating from around 1510 and a beautiful loop-ribbed vault with resting stars under the organ loft by Mathes Klayndl (builder of the church in Kefermarkt) are worthy of note.
Around 1750, the chancel was baroqueised by Franz Ludwig Grimm from Bavaria. The fresco in the dome was painted by Bartolomeo Altomonte and the architectural painting by Johann Georg Dollicher from Linz.