ÖSTERREICH	AUSTRIA
Bundesland: Steiermark	Styria
Bezirk: Hartberg-Fürstenfeld

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Pöllau is situated at an elevation of 425 m on the river Pöllauer Saifen (Safen). The first mention of Pöllau in a document dates from 1163. The view of the market town is dominated by the former monastery of the Augustinian Canons which was founded in 1504. The former  monastery church Sankt Veit (St. Vitus) which today serves as the parish church of Pöllau, was built between 1701 and 1712. The design of the monumental church is strongly influenced by that of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. The church is probably the most important example of High Baroque style in Styria. The monastery was closed in 1785 and its estates were taken over by the state. Since 1939, the former monastery is in posession of the municipality of Pöllau. Since 1990 the church has the status of a filial church to the Lateran Basilica in Rome.