Churches and monasteries

This church in Gufidaun originates from the 15th century. The cultivated vestry, also called Koburger chapel, contains a noteworthy fresco cycle of the Ambrosius Gander from the valley "Jaufental". Holy Mass: Saturday at 18:00 clock and Sunday at 9:00 clock (german)

The church in Ahornach/Acereto is a wonderful example of the late gothic style in the Pustertal Valley. The stonecutter Valentin Winkler from Falzes had built the church in 1512.

The St. Gertraud Church is documented the first time in 1383.
1831 the curate Johann Nepomuk Schiffer had built the new church. The gothic tower still exists.

Although the first reference to a church consecrated to St. Magdalena appeared in a letter of indulgence dating to the year 1273, the origins of the chapel would appear to stretch even further back in time. The chapel as we know it today was built around 1480/1481 by the Schneeberg/Monteneve miners. The centrepiece of the chapel is the late-gothic winged altar, created in the workshop of Matheis Stöberl in 1509 and depicting scenes from the life of Saint Magdalena together with a number of other saints considered to be patron saints of miners. The second altar, attributed to artist Hans Harder and dated ca. 1470, is also worthy of note. Other works date back to the late Gothic and Baroque periods. In 2004, the church underwent extensive renovations. The altar and ambo were created by Hartmut Hintner of the Gsies/ Casies Valley in 2005.    

From the beginning of May to the beginning of November, a guided tour in German and Italian takes place in the miners' chapel every Monday from 4.00 pm to 5.00 pm. In July and August, there is also a guided tour every Friday from 10.30 am to 11.30 am.
The guided tour is free of charge. No registration required.

1334: First mentioned, then rebuilt several times over the centuries, from Gothic to Neo-Gothic.
1472: pointed arched sound windows in the tower.
1879: neo-Gothic forms in the interior according to plans by Josef Vonstadl.
1963: Extension by one bay and redesign by architect Erich Pattis. Preserving all the Gothic style elements, in addition sculptures in the Nazarene style: the guardian angel, St. Notburga, St. Joseph and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They were made by the local artist Michael Hintner, the Immaculate was executed by Josef Mersa.
Stations of the Cross from a local workshop: Romanesque four-nail cross, on the high altar the wooden sculptures of St. Sebastian and the weather patrons St. John and St. Paul, on the left of the altar St. Nicholas, on the right St. Andrew. On the altar are placed alternately Mary with the Child or the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Altars: neo-Gothic, from the workshop of Colli and Adam. On the right side altar the statues of St. Leonard, St. Mark and St. Anthony, on the left one those of Ursula, Mother Anne and St. Catherine. The patron saint of the church is St. Nicholas on December 6. Memorial to the fallen of the two world wars in the cemetery area.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church was built by Tanas between 1895 and 1897 in neo-romantic style and the sculptures are the work of Anton Santifaller. On the main altar, there are the Madonna and St. Joseph, in adoration of the Heart of Jesus. Worship Sunday 8.30 am in German

In 1510, the mining lords and miners of the Gossensass-Sterzing mining court had a chapel built on the rock protecting the north-east side of St. George's Church as a symbol of the guild in honour of the miners' patron saint St. Barbara. The chapel is the work of the Sterzing master builder Adam Schaiter and has a two-storey structure with a square ground plan and polygonal chancel end. A Gothic pointed spire set at the corner completes the building at the top. A coloured Austrian shield is visible on the south-west side of the ridge turret. A double flight of steps leads to the first and second floors, to the lower and upper chapel. The basement houses a crypt, which is used as a mortuary chapel.

The origin of the church Saint Egidio in Mittelolang date back to the period of the High Middleage. According to an ancient parchmen Viktor Gatterer discovered at the beginning of XIX Century in the parish archive of Niederolang, the church could have be consacrated on the 1st September 1138 by the bischof of Briexn Rembert to the Holy Trinity, the Victorious Cross and to the disciple Egidio. One of the fourteen aukiliary saints, Egidio was evoked from shepherd and hunters to be wokshipped as patron saint of livestock and plauge.

Built in 1735, at the site of a chapel dating from 1690. It is impressive because of the numerous frescoes and the pulpit with the inlayed Panels.

The late Gothic church was mentioned already in 1147 for the first time. According to the legend the church stands on the foundations of a heathen victim place. Today's building was built in the 15th century. Gothic elements of the church are the ogival portals, the rosette window above the main entrance with the Gothic three passports and the dainty net ribbed vaulting inside. The high altar (at 1620) shows Jesus' birth, statues of Peter and Paulus as well as figures from the Life of the Virgin Mary. The painted windows on the left and on the right side of the high altar were donated from Lajen's nobility families in 1905. The remaining fittings are in the neo-Gothic style. The tower of Our Lady's Church is adorned on the northern side and has impressing frescos.

The renovated chapel hut dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows in St. Sigmund was built in 1621 and expanded in 1644. The new construction is considered one of the most charming devotional spaces of the Baroque period. Great attention was paid to detail. The nave is covered by a dome, while the altar area is finished with a cross vault. The Stations of the Cross are copper engravings by Franz Xaver Endres from Augsburg. The miraculous image on the high altar is a Pietà set in an open landscape, flanked by Joachim and Anna, dating from the late 15th century. The ceiling paintings were created by Josef Anton Zoller. Beneath the dome, the four Evangelists are depicted, while scenes from the Book of Esther are shown in the dome itself. In the altar area, the three divine virtues—Faith, Hope, and Charity—are displayed, complemented by Courage.

The chapel of St. Peter is the symbol of the Municipality of Laives/Leifers, and is also depicted in the town’s coat of arms. It is located on a hill above Laives and dates back to the 12th century. The chapel was originally intended to be the chapel for Castle Lichtenstein. Next to the church there are only a few ruins left of the ancient castle, which was also part of a fortress below, which was built in 1160 and destroyed in 1290. Today the chapel can only be visited from the outside. Inside only the altar remains with its altar stone.

South-west of Kastelruth, below the Laranzer Forest, lies the hamlet of St Oswald, named after the patron saint of its church. The landmark of the church´s high tower can be seen from a great distance. The church is mentioned for the first time in a historical document from 1234, which was produced on the occasion of an exchange of estates between the Benedictine monastery at Georgenberg and Count Albert III of Tyrol. However, it had probably already been built in the 11th c. One piece of evidence for this is the choice of its patron saint, because the cult of St Oswald of North Umbria spread through Europe before and during the period of the Crusades.

Baroque chapel at the eastern part of the town. The simple building with dome and lantern was built in 1713. The chapel of "Our Lady of Sorrows" in the eastern part of Laces is a baroque construction. The chapel can be visited during the summer months.  

Patronal feast: June 24th The construction dates are written on the church itself. The year 1581 can be seen at the end of the choir, 1586 at the southern entrance. The choir of the church was built in Gothic-renaissance mixed forms. The high altar contains an altarpiece of the painter Johann Degler of Funes. 

The church is only accessible during holy masses.

Source: Parrish office Kaltern

The little church of St. Catherine & St. Florian was built in 1839.

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 Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus in Siebeneich was built in the years 1912-1913 according to the plans of Karl Atz, conservator of the imperial & royal monarchy of Austria-Hungary and beneficiary in Terlan. The solemn consecration took place on November 25, 1913 by Provost Alois Schlechtleitner from Bozen.
The church was restored a first time in 1956 and a second time in 1986. Little has been left of the original church furnishings. The cemetery was established in 1960. The eight-register organ with 560 pipes was built in 1984 by the organ builder Pirchner-Reinisch from Tyrol.
For the 100th anniversary, the church was restored inside and out.

Catholic service: every 2nd and 4th Saturday at 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 8.45 a.m.

The church of St. John in Tschötsch (mentioned in 1406) was built from granite blocks of Brixen.On the façade St. Christophan reminds old transitions in the low mountain range. Slight stucco on the inside of the church reveals renovations in the Baroque period, from that time dates also the fresco of the baptism of Christ in the vault (Joseph Anton Zoller, 1763).During the World War, the church withstands some bombs, which were thought for the near bridge of the village of Albeins.

The church contains a neo-Gothic altar. The cementery is the last home of the famous Alpinist Viktor Wolf Edler von Glanvell.

At the eastern side of Brixen, beyond the confluence of the Rienz river and the Eisack river, in the village of Milland a new parish church was built between 1984-1985, and it is consecrated to the Saint Father Josef Freinademetz. The church is a curiosity, a work of modern architecture, a sacred place full of light.In the basement, there is an exhibition about the life and the work of the church patron, the Saint Father Josef Freinademetz, the Tyrolian China- missionary.
Guided tours possible after request.

In the year 1848, Christian Altstätter, the ‘Kaiserjäger’, vowed to build a chapel if he returned alive from the Battle of Custoza. Dedicated to St. Martin, the chapel was built in 1873 and today it is privately owned.

St. Josef Church in Moos was built in 1679, you will find there some beautiful frescoes of Rudolf Stolz.

 

This Gothic church with high-quality furnishings from the Baroque period was first mentioned in the records in 1306. After a successful restoration (1991-1993), a Romanesque apse (dating from 1100) with paintings was uncovered during the excavations. Privately owned.

The small chapel was built in 1867 and consecrated in honour of the picture of grace Maria Hilf in Innsbruck. In the chapel there are sculptures of Peter and Paul, Isidor and Hubertus. The chapel was last renovated in 1994.

Today's church was built toward the middle of the 15th century after a village fire. The walls of the nave and the shaft of the tower should be considerably older. A gigantic Christophorus fresco which might have arisen at 1500, is on the right next to the portal of the church. On the left and on the right on the lower side of the fresco are Saint Nicholas with the three golden balls and Saint George with a dragon. Saint George is the second patron saint of the church. The church inside surprises with a pointed arch portal, the lancet windows and an impressive net vault. The baroque high altar (1720) shows Saint Silvester, Saint George, Saint Margareth, Saint Valentin and Saint Nicholas, who looks to the Mother of God with the child. The masterpiece of the church is the gothic winged altar (called the "Georgsaltar", 1520) from Artist Andre Haller from Brixen. In the middle of the winged altar is Saint George on the horse, who fights against the Dragon. On the right side Margareth knees in front of a lamp and prays for a good ending of the fight. In the background are represented Saint George's parents and his execution. The wings of the altar show Saint Joachim with a book and Saint Anna together with the Mother of God and the child.

This small, originally Romanesque, church named after the not so well known Saint, is situated on a unique basalt hill above Lana.

St. Hippolyt is a popular destination for excursions, a mythical place of energy since ancient times and an archaeological excavation site of prehistoric times. On St.Hippolyt one of the oldest settlement areas of the region was located.

The place was first mentioned in writing around 1200 A.D. but findings of Neolithic arrow heads, blades and scraping tools are proof of early settlements dating back 4,000 years.

Some of the excavated items are on display at the site. There are also traces of fire scenes that prove that this place was a scene of pagan rituals long before it became a Christian site.

Tipp
The exposed location above Lana offers a fantastic panoramic view and accounts for the popularity of St. Hippolyt: From here you can see 20 towns and around 40 castles, fortresses and ruins. There is a comfortable walking trail leading from Völlan to the little church.

Built in the early 19th century in the neo-Romanesque style on the foundations of the medieval church. The tower and chancel date from the period around 1500. The picture of the three kings by Bartlmä Dill Riemenschneider, the son of the famous woodcarver, (dated 1541) is worth seeing. Close to the church, the local cemetery and remains of the medieval Burgstall castle are also of interest.

Holy Mass:
Saturday at 18.30 (in summer at 19.00, Sunday at 10.00 (alternately in german and italian language).

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.

This church is first mentioned in 1256. It is beautifully placed on a glacially eroded crag. It is thought that at one time it was a place for sacrifices, perhaps in Celtic times. The church can only be seen from the outside or through the window.