Churches and monasteries

Gais has recently been enriched with a historical jewel-
 culturally.  After years of preparatory work, the
 mortuary skin, the so-called “ossarium”, has been transformed into
 in a small museum and made available to the public.
 The centrepiece of the museum is a cycle of frescoes from the period
 late-Gothic with a Universal Judgment unique in its
 gender and, next to it, the works on the redemption of
 poor souls, a kind of catechism for believers
 who at the time could not read.  In addition,
 admire the priestly vestments of Castelbadia  (Miscellaneous
 precious casulas) in a glass case and St. Constantine II
 (a complete skeleton) in a reliquary.
Guided tours on request: +39 348 7961570

The church of Pineta is the youngest in the surroundings of Laives/Leifers. The building process began on 15th september 1963. Since building a church was extremely expensive, lots of people helped voluntarily. The first mess was celebrated in 1969, even though the church wasn't finished yet and there were no benches.  

The saga of Weissenstein depicts the life of the religious farmer Leonhard. He was very ill and fell into a ravine. The Mother of God appeared to him and promised to safe him, if he built a chapel in her honor. The Mother of God told him: "So that you don't doubt my promise, i will leave you in this cave for nine more days and nights, without meat and drink. On the ninth day your family will find you. But don't forget my words!".

It happened how the Mother of God predicted, but Leonhard forgot to built the chapel and became ill again. From that moment on a light was shining where Leonhard fell in the cave and nobody had an explanation why. Leonhard eventually remembered his promise to the Mother of God. He quickly began to build the chapel and was then cured from his illness. When digging he found a little statue which represented the Mother of God. Leonhard continued to finish bulding and placed the statue in the chapel.

Soon after Maria Weissenstein became a popular place of pilgrimage. In 1787 the statue of the Mother of God was relocated to the church of Laives/Leifers.

The parish church of St. Magdalena used to be a small chapel that was integrated into a castle. The chapel was built in 1304 and dedicated to St. Mary Loreto. In 1797 the chapel had some modifications, such as the construction of a tower and the extension of the chapel to a church. In 1804 the patronage of the church was transferred to St. Magdalena.

The church is build in Gothic style and is dedicated to St.Nikolaus.
The church is located in Issing/Issengo.

The Saint Nicholas church in Penon was first mentioned during the 14th Century. It is worth visiting the sacramental house made of sandstone, which possibly dates from around 1380 - Alto Adige's oldest example carved in stone.

The St. George church in Graun/Corona stems from the 14th century. The tower is decorated with a newly restored fresco of St. Chritopher.

Bad Egart Chapel was built in the 18th century and is dedicated to Our Lady Mary. The little church is located in the Töll area and belongs to the oldest spa in Tyrol, Bad Egart. The history of the Egart health spa appears to go back to Roman times.

Bad Egart was once among the best-known health spas in the vicinity of the spa town of Meran. In the past, only renowned spas also had a chapel. For this reason, the owner in those days, Joseph Joachim von Wolfenthal zu Spauregg und Gaudententurm had a chapel built for his guests during the renovation of the bathhouse in 1730.

It is worth noting that the original clock mechanism of the tower clock from the church in Lake Reschen/Resia (dated 1723) can now be found inside the chapel. Today the church tower in Lake Reschen is a landmark bearing silent witness to the flooded village of Alt-Graun im Vinschgau, which was inundated in 1950 to create the reservoir. In addition to countless sacred objects, the chapel also holds a collection of guardian angels belonging to the present owner, Karl Platino, better known as Onkel (Uncle) Taa.

Today the little spa church is a pilgrimage chapel. Over the years, many visitors have written down their wishes and thoughts in letter form. The chapel is also believed to help reconcile separated couples.

The structure of Bad Egart chapel was altered in 1926 and renovated at the end of the 20th century in keeping with the wishes of Karl Platino. It is a protected monument.

Opening times: see Restaurant / Museum Bad Egart / Onkel Taa opening times.

The Lodner Chapel is situated at 2,259 metres above sea level near the Lodner refuge hut in the Zieltal valley. On 16 August 1933 the chapel was dedicated by Chaplain Gasser from Partschins/Parcines. Partschins/Parcines Band played at the dedication. Father Schulien, a German missionary from Rome, conducted the mass.

The landlord of the Lodner refuge hut, Toni Raffeiner from Karthaus/Certosa in the Senales valley, built the chapel following plans by the Meran/Merano Architect, Torggler. It is five metres long, three metres wide, five metres high and built completely from stone. On the wooden roof is a small tower containing the bell from the former Oberhauser chapel, which was destroyed by a landslide in 1917. When the doors are closed there is room for 30 people in the Lodner Chapel.

The wood was cut on the Nasereit Alp and carried beam by beam up to the Lodner hut. The boards came from the old Stettiner Hut and had to be carried over the Johannesschartl wind gap. The woodwork was undertaken by master carpenter Josef Hueber from Partschins/Parcines. The statue of St. Joseph on the altar was donated by the priest from Karthaus/Certosa in the Senales valley. 

To mark the occasion of the chapel’s dedication, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli sent a telegram and donated a picture. On 2 March 1939 Cardinal Pacelli became Pope Pius XII.

Every year in August, Partschins/Parcines alpine club, in cooperation with the Ziel Alp Association (Alminteressentschaft Ziel), organises the traditional mass for mountaineers and herdsmen in the Lodner Chapel. In accordance with tradition, Partschins/Parcines Band also plays there.

The Parish Church Saint Cyriak was originally a gothic building. In 1851 the church was newly build (consecration in 1854).

This irregular building shows that the church was built in different periods, from the 13th to the 16th century. In the church stands the famous "Madonna with the infant Jesus holding grapes" by Michael Pacher. In the attached Egererkapelle, frescos from the Michael Pacher school.

The sawmill chapel is located at Dobbiaco Nuova/Neutoblach. The chapel is possible to reach by car or by foot. The walking trail can be continued until the Lake of Dobbiaco.  

The chapel was built because of the frequent threat of the Troge stream, the chapel was built in 1903                   

The church of San Silvestro/Wahlen is devoted to St.Nicolas, patron saint against flooding and avalanches. The church was bulit in the 16th century. 

A church in Wahlen was first mentioned in a document around 1258. Certainly in the 15th century, but probably already in the 14th century, there was a little church dedicated to St. Nicholas in Wahlen. According to the inscription on the choir vault, the Gothic church of St. Nicholas in Wahlen with its rich net vault and beautiful portals was newly built in 1512 by the master builder Andre Firtaler from San Candido.                                          

Built in 1652. The black Mother of God with Infant Jesus is worth a visit. After the Mauren begin the stations of the Cross leading to the most popular place of pilgrimage of the middle Pustertal: Maria Saalen. The little pilgrimage church "Unsere Liebe Frau von Loreto" was built in the 17th century and once had a hermitage. The entrance has the year 1652 written on it and on the top right-hand side a modern painting of the Blessed Virgin of Loreto. The gable of the altar shows the Annunciation, and below the Black Mary with the Infant Jesus, Saints Anne and Joachim, and above the doors Saints Joseph and Sylvester.

Fallen heroes memorial of the war of 1809 in the Klosterwald in St. Lorenzen.

Church near the graveyard. If you like to visit the church, you get the key in the Tourist Office - we need a deposit.

To the north of Rechtenthal Castle lies the hamlet Söll whose church is dedicatet to St. Mauritius. The steeple with its paired round arch windows and its brick-built pyramidal roof dates back as far as the 13th century, whereas the church nave and décor are basically realized in Gothic style. Of particular interest is a fresco, unfortunately seriously damaged, depicting the church's patron saint in a cavalry battle. The same patron also features as the central charakter in the winged altarpiece. When leaving the church, you will notice an inscription on the outer wall, just above the small rectangular window. Written in Gothic minuscules it tells that the south annex of the sacred building was wewcted later, in 1470. Just below the church you can see a building that is architecturally very interesting. Its structure is well-proportioned and the elegant wrought iron window grilles aforning the upper floor bear witness of the centuries-old craftsmanship that was at work here. A little further uphill from the church another architectual gem is hiding: here you will come across a group of two or three picturesque old farmhouses, and on the archway of one of these you can still read the initials of one of its formers owners who perpetuated his name back in 1684.

The left nave is Romanesque. The high altar was built around 1520. The left side nave is Gothic. The altar there contains picture panels of Adam and Eve, probably from Bartlmä Dill Riemenschneider.

Patronal feast: March 19th

The church of S. Giuseppe was realized around 1700. The constructional form of the low-drawn-in chancel with a straight ending frequently occurs from the middle of the 17th century onwards, and the ground plan has probably been designed by builder the master-builder Delai. Also worth to mention is the high altar, a marble structure with stone and wood sculptures.

The church is only accessible during holy masses.

Source: Parrish office Kaltern

First documented mention of a church in Aldein was in 1309, according to excavations it was a Romanesque church with two apses. The masonry dates back to the 12th Century back. In the second half of the 15. cwntury a new church was built which was expanded to the west in 1841/42. A special feature is the pulpit, which is on the roof of Moses with the tablets of the law and above it the St. Spirit shows and the life-size statue of the Heart of Jesus.

Patronal feast: June 26th

The church has been dedicated to the diocesan patron Vigilius of Trento and is a new building from 1491, in 1497 the vault was withdrawn. The tower belongs to the 14th century, on its north side are remains of a Christophorus picture from 1360/80, the “Kummernusbild” on the west side has been realized around 1420.

Source: Parrish office Kaltern

With a height of 86 metres, this church's bell tower is the tallest steeple built of stone in South Tyrol. In the early 20th century the medieval nave made place for the present design by the architect Franz Mayr, though the Gothic chancel har remained with its frescoes. The martyrdom of the curch's patron saints Julitta and Quiricus is depicted in a fresco cycle on the southern wall.

The tower of the old Magdalena church is situated in Vadena/Pfatten. First the tower was part of the old parish church, but its position was near the river Adige/Etsch which was often afloat. The church was destroyed in 1794 and the tower is the only thing left of it.

The octagonal building was built by Daniel von Elzenbaum, who was the administrator of the curacy of Sterzing. It was consecrated in 1631. A space arranged as a choir accommodates a simulacrum of the Holy Sepulchre, which is still opened and decorated every year for Easter.

This Church was cited as early as 1298; today's building, however was built at the beginning of the XVI century. The rich and original reticular vault ceiling is particularly worthy of note. The Church was restored in 1938 following a fire.

The Parish church of Cortina sulla Strada del Vino is dedicated to Saint Martinn. The Gothic construction dates from the beginning of the 15th century and was erected on the ruins of on older chapel. The keystone of the arch is decorated with a picture of St. Martin and the date 1474. A second keystone shows the Virgin Mary and is attributed to the end of the 16th century. Over the years, various changes have been made to the building. In 1610, the church tower was renovated, in 1996 the mosaic of St. Martin over the entryway was completed and the furnishings including the organ and the choir stalls were renovated. In spite of the many changes, many of the old treasures have survived and can still be seen in the parish church. For example, a statue of the Madonna from the 15th century and two altarpieces from the 17th century can be seen. A special gem is the old bell from the year 1449. It is one of the oldest bells in Alto Adige and was still used up until a few years ago to ring in the mass.

The Parish church of St. Vigilius with its Romanesque church tower was mentioned for the first time in 1337. The old baptismal font inside dates from an earlier time, from 1033. At the beginning of the 16th century, the church was remodeled and a sandstone arch was added. In 1850, the late Gothic high altar was built where the baroque altarpiece showing the martyrium of Str. Vigilius was built in. A further gem inside the Cortaccia church is the legendary crying picture of the Virgin Mary which was first exhibited on July 17, 1738 and has since been the goal of many pilgrims.

Old Joseph's Church

The old, small church was constructed in 1639 and dedicated to Saint Joseph. The tower was only added in 1865. This church is one of the oldest churches in Tyrol dedicated to Saint Joseph. The interior is arranged like a Capuchin church. The church was extended in 1845.
The church is not open for visitors.

Parish Church Saint Joseph the Worker

Because the old church became too small for the population in Vilpian in 1900, the community planned to build a new church. Due to the difficult financial situation and World War II, the construction of the new church only began in 1949; the bare brickwork was concluded in 1950, and finally in 1955 the church was consecrated. It is a modern, austere sacred building. Over the main altar, there is a life-size crucifix dating from the 17th century. It is an item on loan from the Meran Civic Theatre and is the most important piece of art in the church. The renowned painter Franz Lenhart from Meran painted the two adoring angels on the façade and the monogram of Jesus above the round window over the entry. The bell tower was not realized at the beginning, due to financial reasons. Only in October 1996, was the new tower constructed within a short period of time.

Catholic services: Sat. 7 pm (every 1st, 3rd and 5th saturday), Sun. 10.45 am (every 2nd and 4th)

The Christkönigskirche church, also known as the new parish church, was built between 1961 and 1963. The church has a flat-ceiling nave with a separate altar area. The two stained glass windows are by Heiner Gschwendt from Klausen/Chiusa, the church organ, consecrated in 1987, is by Andrea Zeni, and all other works of art connected with the church, including the granite fountain in front of the church and the statue of the Archangel Michael made of Lasa marble housed in a niche on the church square, are by the famous artist Friedrich Gurschler (1923-2020†).

Friedrich Gurschler was born in February 1923 on a farm near Unsere Frau/Madonna di Senales in Schnalstal Valley and is an honorary citizen of Partschins/Parcines.

Gothic building which was first mentioned in a document in 1326. The interior of the chapel offers a statue of St. Helen, two neo-Gothic altars (consecrated to St. Nepomuk and St. Valentine) as well as a crucifix from the 17th century.

The 5 chapels (1519) representing scenes from the Passion of Christ. Together with the former "Görz" chapel in the parish church and the circular chapel in Lerschach, they form the so-called "Calvary Mountain" pilgrim road. The chapel was built to commemorate the fallen in the war against the Republic of Venice.