Burgus St. Johann im Mauerthale

From the middle of the 4th century AD, the Roman Empire was once again in crisis. It is shaken by civil wars and invading peoples - in the east by the Jazygians and in the north by the Quads. The last major step in the expansion of the Danube Limes took place under Emperor Valentinian (364 to 375 AD). Not only were small or residual forts established in the corners of the former large military camps, but also bases known as "burgi" were expanded or newly built.

A "burgus" on the Danube

One such Roman "burgus" was also found in St. Johann im Mauerthale by means of archaeological investigations and in-depth historical analyses. The watchtower stood to the south of today's church and secured the end of a headland on the southern bank of the Danube. It had an almost square ground plan with a length of around 12.40 m, the wall thickness on the first floor was 1.60 m. With a height of over 8 m, there was at least one ground floor and one upper floor. The first floor was rather dark due to the small slit windows, but was well protected. Two arched windows were found on the north side of the upper floor. The "burgi" of Bacharnsdorf and Rossatzbach (at the exit of the Windstallgraben) had almost identical dimensions in their late antique construction phase.

Basic structure of the church

Large parts of the Roman building fabric have been preserved in today's church of St. Johann, with the entire south wall of the nave built in the Romanesque period (11th century) and the north and east walls of the Gothic tower (14th century) dating back to late antiquity. The addition of the church to the north façade of the "burgus" in the High Middle Ages would also explain the unusual orientation of the nave to the north - and not the usual east.