Pfarrschule#

Pfarrschule (parish school), present-day name for an ancient institution of the church which originally concerned itself with the religious instruction and education of children and juveniles for church service and later focused on general education. Evidence of parish schools in Austria since the 12th century, widely spread during the late Middle Ages: directed by a priest, financed by church assets and housed in a church-owned building (in most cases the sacristan's house). The teachers were mainly cantors and sextons, in the modern era the latter almost completely took over elementary teaching in rural areas, where school and church services often remained linked until the second half of the 19th century (in the province of Burgenland until the 20th century).