Jižní Tyrolsko stojí za vidění

St. Johannes' Parish Church in Lasa was erected around 1200 on the site of a previous church from the Carolingian period, as evidenced by a marble fragment dating from these times. The chaotic events surrounding the brutal Swabian War saw the Romanesque church burned down in 1499, although it witnessed a Gothic rebuild a few short years later. St. Johannes Parish Church has been damaged by fire on several occasions throughout its history, with the foundation walls and workpieces of the Romanesque apse only being rediscovered in the 1970s. These were then reconstructed true to the original style.

The East wall comprises three large blind arches that resemble the profile of a Romanesque basilica. Masterful animal sculptures can be viewed all around the apse, including depictions of a lion and a ram. The altar itself is furnished with a relief that dates from the Early Middle Ages and features St. Sisinnius, St. Alexander and St. Martyrius.

Worship Sat 7.30 pm, Sun 10 am (Winter Sat 6 pm, Sun 10 am)

An unique group of holy buildings is standing on Mount Calvary, also called Kofel/Colle at Kastelruth/Castelrotto. From the village a path leads among porphyry rocks and beautiful nature. Several chapels line the pilgrimage, which ends at the Roman tower. The seven chapels show pictures of Jesus and his mother, the Mount of Olives, the scourging, crowning with thorns and the handwashing and the Entombment. (Nice walk - 20 minutes)

If you let your gaze wander over the barren slopes of the Sonnenberg mountain range in the Vinschgau valley in summertime, the white-chalk St. Ägidius' church above Silandro/Schlanders will stand out. Embedded in the stone terraces of the Corzes/Kortsch steppe belt, the small Romanesque church resembles a Mediterranean rock church.

With its octagonal spire and the oversized Christophorus fresco on the south facade , St. Ägidius is also a landmark of the valley. The massive tower with a octagon roof was not built until the 14th century, when the Romanesque church was expanded. The Christophorus fresco, on the other hand, dates from around 1330. Inside there are also wall paintings from the 13th and 15th centuries, when the church above the Kortscher Leiten meadows was much used.

As a result of the strategically favourable environs featuring a view over the valley, people settled here in ancient times. Specifically, the remains of a prehistoric settlement, known locally as the “Schatzknott," were uncovered nearby.

In 1992 in the church "Unsere liebe Frau auf dem Bichl" the in Laces standing stone (3.300-2.200 B.C.) was found during restoration work by the State Monument Authorities. The stele, which is made from the finest Vinschgau marble, formed the supporting surface of the altar table. The top and bottom parts as well parts of the left upper side of the 107 cm high, 77 cm wide and 12 cm thick stone are missing. It was probably originally located around where the current church stands on the hill and would thus have been visible from afar. As well as the iconic features common to all the male engraved stones from the Etsch valley group, such as scalloped belts, axes, daggers, clubs, bows, various decorative elements and fringed capes, elements are present that belong to the Lombardy group from Val Camonica and Valtellina, such as suns, deer and stylised male figure. Thus the in Laces standing stone is great proof of the ancient connection of the Vinschgau and the Etsch valley and the valleys of north-eastern Lombardy.

St. Nicholas’s Church in Laces is a Romanesque church from the 14th century. Formerly it belonged to the monastery of Laces, now it belongs to the municipality of Laces. The remains of the frescoes by the southern front of the church, which portray the crucifixion of St. Nicholas and St. Christopher, are well worth a look.

Since 2017 it is exibition place of the menhir: the top and bottom parts as well parts of the left upper side of the 107 cm high, 77 cm wide and 12 cm thick stone are missing. It was probably originally located around where the current church stands on the hill and would thus have been visible from afar. As well as the iconic features common to all the male engraved stones from the Etsch valley group, such as scalloped belts, axes, daggers, clubs, bows, various decorative elements and fringed capes, elements are present that belong to the Lombardy group from Val Camonica and Valtellina, such as suns, deer and stylised male figure. Thus the Laces standing stone is great proof of the ancient connection of the Vinschgau and the Etsch valley and the valleys of north-eastern Lombardy.

The church is open daily from 09 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Opinions differ as to its founding date and one legend has it that it was built by a knight. In 1376, the chruch and annex were taken over by the Monte Maria Abbey, but today only the ruins of the walls remain.

You will soon find more information about the St. Catherine’s Chapel and the manor house Gurten here.

The Lutheran church is a lime block northeastern of St. Magdalena, accessible from the church of St. Magdalena. The supporters of the lutheran teaching shall have met in secret to celebrate The Liturgy of the Word.

The chapel in honor of St. Sebastian was erected in remembrance of the Plague in Tires al Catinaccio. It stands isolated in an idyllic glade, the so-called "holy ground".

In November 1809 thousands of soldiers from Napoleon’s army advanced over the Jaufenpass and into the Passeiertal Valley. They were heading for Meran. At St. Leonhard, however, there was a violent confrontation with Passeier insurgents, 22 of whom were killed, while 200 soldiers and 30 officers were reported dead on the French side.

According to subsequent accounts, the dead Frenchmen were buried in an old cemetery – probably a plague cemetery – at the edge of St. Leonhard. In the anniversary year of 1959, 150 years after the rebellion, the local company of marksmen affixed a marble tablet there. The French Embassy to this day sends funds for the maintenance of the cemetery, with the French tricolore flying over the grass.

No trace was found of the dead Frenchmen during an archaeological excavation carried out in 2009. This seemed to confirm earlier doubts about any mass grave containing French soldiers. But in 2013 the French Ministry of Defence arranged for further excavations; these actually found a knife and the remains of bones and articles of clothing, which suggest such a grave.

The Marian Sanctuary is located in the village of Senale in the region of Alta Val di Non. Various legends surround this place of pilgrimage, on of the oldest of South Tyrol.

On 1.184 the first stone of  the Sanctuary was placed. On 1.432 the church was enlarged, to get the present shape. At the beginning of XIV century the pilgrims flow, decreased, so the convent, attached to the hospice, lost its independence, then to belong to Augustinian order of Gries, Bolzano.

[[For the "Gasthaus Hippolyt: https://gasthaus-hippolyt.it, Tel. 0039 0473 42 00 37]]

The St. Hippolyt church in the north of the municipality of Tisens/Tesimo, near the village of Völlan/Foiana and above Lana, dominates the hill of St. Hippolyt in Naraun/Narano, which is visible from afar. 

This is not only a popular and easily accessible excursion site, whose panorama from the mountains of the Texelgruppe all the way down to Bolzano is second to none, but also an ancient settlement and cult site. Finds of Neolithic arrowheads, blades and mortars show that people were already living here in the 4th millennium BC, almost 6,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest prehistoric settlement sites in South Tyrol. There is also evidence of a prehistoric sanctuary on the hill.

The little church of St. Hippolyt was first mentioned in 1288, but is probably much older - not least because of its rare patron saint. Parts of the nave walls and the offset round apse still bear witness to the Romanesque church. The two pointed-arched slit windows and the likewise pointed-arched entrance door with rosette in the west were created during reconstruction work in the Gothic period. Towards the end of the 17th century, the tower was added (a votive picture from 1679 still shows the church without a tower, but with a choir bell wall). The bell was cast in 1566 by Simon Hofer and is thus the oldest surviving bell in the parish. The barrel vault in the nave was inserted in 1762 (see date on the triumphal arch). 
Inside the church, the altar and the pulpit date from the 2nd half of the 17th century, the statues of St. Isidore and St. Roch, as well as the image of St. Hippolytus from the 2nd half of the 18th century. 

As Saint Hippolyt is also venerated as the patron saint of the weather, ringing the bells in thunderstorms were once part of the duty of the sacristan of St. Hippolyt in Naraun. Due to the exposed location of the church, however, lightning strikes occurred time and again. Since the 17th century, no fewer than six deaths during weather ringing have been recorded in the parish's death register, which is why the little church was given the nickname "Zum bösen Segen" (to the evil blessing). 

The church is only open on certain holidays. However, the hill offers a wonderful panoramic view all year round.

The path of reflection to the Luminous Rosary and in memory of Pope John Paul II, built in 2010, leads to the church. Six bronze reliefs with the mysteries of the Luminous Rosary and a portrait of the deceased Pope await the pilgrim on the way. They are works by the artist Robert Giovanazzi from Merano, which were realised by the art founders Stefan and Vinzenz Dirler, natives of Prissian/Prissiano.

The Vigilius/Blasiuskirche church in Morter is of pre-roman origin and it ranks among the oldest and most important religious buildings in the Venostaregion. Its "oriental" appearing architecture is particularly striking, while the consecration inscription reveals the year 1080. The church is one of the cultural centres of the “Stairway to Heaven” project.

The key can be collected from the hotel at MARTIN's in Morter 
+39 0473 742 049

The St. Johann Benedictine convent of Müstair Valley across the border in Switzerland is a well-preserved monastery complex that dates back to the Carolingian period. Here, Benedictine everyday life, cultural cultivation, art and research meet. Legend has it that none other than Charlemagne laid the foundation stone for the monastery. Immediately after his coronation, Charlemagne was caught in a snowstorm on the Umbrail Pass. Out of gratitude for having survived this, he founded the monastery in Müstair in 775. 
St. Johann Monastery has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. 

More information, guided tours and opening hours of the monastery church at: www.muestair.ch

From the church of Sant'Antonio Abate, mentioned for the first time in 1323, today are only preserved some walls.

In 1220, the Church of San Giovanni/ St. Johann in Taufers was built as a Romanesque church in the shape of a cross. The fully frescoed groined vault depicts its Byzantine influence. It is worth seeing the Late Romanesque frescoes. Whole sections of the walls of the predecessor church from the 9th century were used to build the church. 
Later, the church was used as a hospice church and served as a common room and sleeping place for pilgrims. 

The church S. Johann in Taufers is open every day from 9.30 a.m. until 5.00 p.m..

Erected in the 12th century, St. Mark’s Church – known colloquially as “St. Marx” – is located close to the parish church of Lasa and is considered one of the most beautiful Romanesque structures in South Tyrol despite lacking a bell tower.

The walls of this desecrated church consist of large stones hewn into even layers. St. Marx catches the eye on account of its exceptional height for the time at which it was built and its division into two storeys. The crypt was used for a number of centuries as a depot for storing bones, while fragments of frescoes have been revealed around the apse in the interior.

In the course of the Josephine church reform, St. Marx was desecrated and ultimately used for entirely different purposes. Following an extended period in which the church housed a workshop for the renowned Lasa stonemasonry school, the upper storey subsequently served as a rehearsal venue for the local brass band.

The church underwent a thorough restoration in 2000, which led to the discovery of long-forgotten fragments of valuable Gothic frescoes from around the year 1400.

Opening times:
closed, to be visit from the outside

Guided tours:
no guided tours

High on a porphyry hill in Obersirmian stands the Saint Apollonia church. The little church, which was originally consecrated to Saint Pelagius, was built during the 12th and 13th Centuries on the grounds of an ancient settlement. It shows a stone-framed portal made around 1500. The Saint Apollonia church stands of a forested hill, which can be reached by car in only a few minutes via the Sirmianerstrasse. The location suggests that the little church was built in early times. The finding of a bronze bracelet refers to an early-historic settlement. The original Roman building was built around 1300 and contains a round apse with struts. The portal is stone-framed with an ogee arch, as well as a round bar. It should date back to the beginning of the 16th Century. The barrel in the longhouse and the groin vault in the choir stalls, reach back to the 17th Century. The niche in the wall with its small iron door was used as a sacrament corner. Saint Apollonia helps when you have toothache and for this reason, is presented with a pair of pliers. She is a symbol of martyrdom, as she went through the ordeal of having her teeth pulled out in a cruel way. The church keys are available at the Restaurant Apollonia, which is situated right below the hill.

The seminary of Brixen has a very interesting history. The current seminary building was built in the years 1764-1771 under Prince-Bishop Leopold of Spaur on the site of the old pilgrims' hospice and was consecrated on 28 June 1767. Today the seminary is the seat of the Theological-Philosophical Seminary.

Visiting the town of Certosa/Karthaus is like a journey into the past. The town was built inside the walls of the Cloister of Certosa degli Angeli, founded in 1326 and reopened in 1782. The Via Crucis of the ancient cloister is especially interesting.

The St. Catherine church in Aica di Fiè was originally dedicated to St. Michael.
The frescoes on the exterior wall were made in 1420 and are worth a second glance. They show us the legend of the Christian princess Catherine of Alexandria.

The military cemetery in Auer/Ora was originally established in 1916 as a burial ground for the chiefly Russian and Serbian war prisoners who had died while working on the old Val di Fiemme railroad. Additionally, a military hospital was established in Auer during WWI. A burial ground was set up at the site of today's military cemetery for fallen soldiers and for the workers who died during the construction of the railroad.

During WWII, the burial ground was likewise used as a cemetery for the war dead. The bodies of Austro-Hungarian soldiers who had fallen on the Dolomite Front were exhumed and transferred to their respective national cemeteries. Until 2003, the association for victims of war and combatants of South Tyrol took care of the military cemetery. From 2003 on, the "Schützenkompanie" Auer took over the cemetery's administration.

The romanesque church called St. Kathrein has a gothic apse and dates from the thirteenth century. It has well-preserved frescoes from the fourteenth century and a winged altar in the late-Gothic Tyrolean style (which can only be see through an opening in the portal).

The story

Like many other churches in the region, the St. Kathrein church in Hafling was built on a site that was originally a pagan place of worship. Presumably there was already a small church standing here in the twelfth century, which was destroyed by fire in 1202. The only parts of the church that survived from the period before the church fire are the regularly stratified walls of the flat-roofed nave.

Fifty years later, a Romanesque church had already come into being, which was newly consecrated in 1251. In the late Gothic period, the church was rebuilt again. Two hundred years later, in 1452, it was once again rebuilt and rededicated.

The late-Gothic winged altar is a valuable decorative element of the church. The central part of the altar cabinet contains three wooden figures: the patron saint, St. Catherine, flanked by John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene.

The Legend

According to legend, the local people wanted to build a Christian church on this site. They charged two giants to procure stones. The giants, however, had promised to build at church in Lafenn at the exact same time. Having only one hammer between them, the two giants had to share. Eventually, a conflict arose between the pair over the hammer, so the Lafenn giant picked up an enormous boulder and threw it at the St. Catherine giant. The boulder missed its target, but can still be seen in the meadow near Sulfner, just below the church.

Dates church tours 2022:
30.05. | 13.06. | 27.06. | 04.07. | 11.07. | 18.07. | 25.07. | 08.08. | 16.08.* | 22.08. | 29.08. | 05.09. | 19.09. | 03.10. | 24.10. | 31.10.2022

10 meditational spots are found along the side of the path until you reach the "Franziskus and Klara" chapel, the ruin from the Toblburg Castle.

The castle chapel of St. Stephen in Morter, or the sistine chapel of the Venosta Valley as it is also known, dates back to 1487, and certainly does rank among one of the most remarkable churches in the Southern Tyrol. Although the tiny church appears simple and unassuming from the outside, the magnificent frescoes in the interior are an absolute must for those who are interested in art and culture.

Open every Friday + Saturday from 14.30-17.30 (April-October).

The St. Benedikt church of Mals was ercted in the 8th century A.D. Its Carolingian frescoes are among the earliest murals in central Europe. Originally, St. Benedict's did not have a tower; this was probably only built in the 12th century and therefore appears somewhat oversized. 
Without doubt, however, the two portraits of the founders are the most interesting. They show the Bishop of Chur and a Franconian landlord in traditional costume. This portrait is unique in Europe, as there is no comparable representation anywhere else. 

Opening hours 08.04.2024 - 31.10.2024:
Visitation: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. - 11.30 a.m.
Guided Tour: Monday, Wednesday and Friday (only in German at 2 p.m. and Italian 2.30 p.m.
Prices: € 1,80 per person; € 3,00 per person with guided tour
Registration not required 

Guided tours only in german or italian language (Info: +39 0473 831190)
The church is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

First mentioned in 1322, this parish church is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. The beautiful cemetery, which is beautifully cared for and decorated with artistically forged crosses, is one of the most beautiful cemeteries in South Tyrol.he beautiful cemetery, which is beautifully cared for and decorated with artistically forged crosses, is one of the most beautiful cemeteries in South Tyrol.

The tiny church founded in 1744 by the mine owner, Michael von Jenner, is nestled in extraordinary countryside. The altar paintings by Franz Sebald Unterberger from the Fleim Valley are particullary noteworthy. The church is privately owned and the access is subject to a fee.
However, the church remains closed. 

Please do not enter the meadows surrounded by fence.

The chapel, dedicated to all saints, is located in the basement of Fahlburg Castle.