Churches and monasteries

A small late Gothic church dating from approximately 1.500. The church is constructed on a sunny, east-facing mountain slope between the villages of Mauls and Trens, 1.110 m above sea level.

The San Giuseppe Parish Church is one of the most beautiful and modern churches in the Alps and is a fine example of contemporary architecture. The church was built and designed by the famous architect Dr. Willy Gutweniger between 1966 and 1971. It represents a successful attempt to combine ancient and modern architecture and it is important that visitors allow themselves enough time to understand the rich symbolic language of the building. The church opened on March 13, 1977 in the presence of the Bishop of the Diocese at the time, Dr. Josef Gargitter. Further information and images of the church and its furnishings are available at the vicarage and in the Tourist Association. Guided tours are held every Thursday at 5pm (except when funerals are held), from Easter to All Saints Day (November).
The church is opened daily from 7am to 7pm.

The Church of St. Oswald in Pawigl near Lana was built in the Middle Ages. The nave walls of the Church of St. Vigilius date from this time, which once marked the most northerly point of the diocese of Trento, and which was painted in the second half of the 14th century with important early Gothic frescoes that are still well preserved today. It was built in the 13th century and extensively renovated in 1876.

Holy Mass:
Sunday at 8.30 in german language

To the south of the cloister is the chapel of St. John with its unobtrusive exterior, originally probably the house chapel of the bishop, later the baptistery. It has two floors and is decorated with precious frescoes from the romanesque (1250), early (around 1320) and high gothic (1st century of the 15th century). According to tradition, the Synod of Bishops met here in 1048, which Emperor Henry IV had convened in the course of the investiture conflict in order to have Pope Gregory VII deposed and elevate Clement III to the position of antipope

The Romanesque St. Anna church, the cemetery church, is probably as old as the Pfarrkirche. On its wooden altar it accommodates a very precious sculpture: the Pieta cast out of stone (1440)

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 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.

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)

Until 1860 the name of the Zallinger pastures was ‚Sassegg‘ which is Ladin-Bajuwaric meaning ‚hill on the big rock’, hence on the Plattkofel massif. From 1854, Karl von Zallinger-Stillendorf from Bozen/Bolzano with Bavarian origins is mentioned as proprietor. It was he who in 1857 prompted the building of the modest neo-Gothic chapel consecrated to the Virgin Mother. One year later, the little church was solemnly inaugurated. After its restoration in 1993, the Zallinger church needed a new facelift on the occasion of its 150th jubilee. The works were accomplished in autumn 2007 thanks to the generous backing of neighbours and sponsors. On July 28 2008 the accomplishment of the restoration was worthily celebrated.

At the top of a little hill you can find the small church of Favogna di Sotto, dedicated to S.Leonardo. It is surrounded by an iron which, according to a old legend, is extended for one link every seven years and when the church is completely enclosed by the chain, the end of the world is near.

The "Leitnstöckl" is one of the many plague shrines in our area. At the "Leitnstöckl" there is a beatiful view of the surrounding mountains an the center of Dobbiaco/Toblach. 

The hiking trail offers a wonderful view of Dobbiaco and leads past the Leitnstöckl chapel. The chapel is of great historical importance as it is one of the plague sticks and is reminiscent of the time of the Black Death in the Alps. The path leads through Dobbiaco and the sunny faction Wahlen.

The Holy Spirit Church is the oldest church of the Ahrntal valley. The church is situated at the furthest reaches of the Ahrntal valley., leaning against a large rock. It was built around 1455, and was enlarged and converted to its current form in the 16th century. The Holy Spirit Church is a sacred place, partly through its history and partly through many pious believers of many generations. It is not known when the first church was built for the many travelers who used in particular the Krimmler Tauern as a passage to get in the Pinzgau and Salzburg. It is sure that cardinal Nikolaus Cusanus of Brixen/Bressanone dedicated the church and the cemetery in 1455.This was necessary for the people who freezed to death passing the Alps or who died in another way, or for the miners of the Prettau/Predoi copper mine. In 1500 the church was extended. In the last 10 years much restauration work has been carried out. Unfortunately, many pieces of art have been removed for security reasons. Even the pilgrimage image was removed for some years, but it returned in 1981 to the church, protected by a safe and underlined in its importance by a corona.

Centuries ago - starting from the "Schliefstein" - a particularly positive energy was found here. That is why the legendary Holy Spirit Church was built. According to the conviction, one could strip away one's sins by walking through the narrow gap between the church and the large "Schliefstein". And so, the place around the church and the stone is still a well-known and popular place of power.

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.

Chapel of St. Michael. The Chapel of St. Michael, also known as “cemetery chapel”, is situated next to the parish church of Völs and dates back to the Romanesque period. Today, the chapel houses an archaeological collection and the Völs Parish Museum .

The Church of St. Felix (St. Felixkirche), which is situated above the Marling Waalweg trail, is only accessible on some guided tours of the village. The water in the open well has long been said by the local people to have special healing powers.

The chapel is reminiscent of the famous freedom fighter Peter Sigmayr. The Tharerwirt was shot 1810 from the Frenchmen near the Baumgartner farm.

The chapel of the dead is situated at an altitude of 2186 metres between the mountain pass of Villandro and Sarentino on the high plateau of the Villandro Alp. The little church has to be renovated constantly due to the unique location. The last renovation was in 1981 by the “shooters of Villandro – Villanderer Schützen”. The crucifixion group inside the chapel is larger than life, for this reason it impresses every visitor. To the chapel of the dead leads a way of the cross which is 4 km long and has 14 stations. Besides, a way of the cross leads from Sarentino to the little church.

The core of the old parish church in Marein was presumably built around 1400. At least the stellar vault of the choir and the tracery windows on its southern side are from this period. By contrast the tower and nave were not given their present form until the 17th cent. In addition to a Baroque altar from the 18th cent. In addition to a Baroque altar from the 18th cent. the church also contains an older altar from the 17 cent. Among other things, its other furnishings include two remarkable oil painting: a Madonna and Child with St.John the Baptist as a boy, venerated by St Francis, St Clare and St Catherine, as well a second large-format oil painting, which features ST Odile, who was born blind and gained the ability to see only through her baptism

The Brixen Poor Clares Monastery was already founded during the lifetime of St. Clare.
There is no documents about the foundation itself and where the first sisters came from. The oldest written document is a letter of liberty from the Prince-Bishop of Bressanone, Henry IV, dated May 10, 1235, in which the monastery and the newly built church in honour of the Virgin Mary and St. Francis were freed from all secular and spiritual judicial constraints.

The church of St. Elisabeth was originally a romanesque church, which was rebuilt in the 15th century into a gothic church and then in the 17th century into a baroque church. At the entrance portal there is a crucifixion scene and the coronation scene of Mary with the Franciscan saints (St. John of Capristan, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. James of the Mark, St. Elizabeth, St. Clare and St. Agnes). The interior is indented with a groined vault above which the Sisters' Choir is located. The choir of nuns, which is located above the vault, is under strict enclosure. Behind the choir stalls there is a small "chair" for each sister, which is individually decorated with devotional objects and pictures.

The walls of the presbytery show scenes from the life and work of St. Elisabeth of Thuringia (left: Rose miracle and the banishment from the Wartburg; right: death and burial of the saint). The high altar is a niche construction with four columns and a volute gable (by Peter Passler from Neustift). The picture shows the alms donation of St. Elisabeth. It is flanked by St. Francis and St. Clare. While the left side altar shows a scene of shepherd adoration, the right side altar picture shows Joachim, Anna and little Mary.

The Antonio chapel was consecrated on 23rd September 1704. In 1998 it was restored the last time.

The original church of San Leonardo in Bronzolo/Branzoll had become too small and so the new neo-Romanesque parish church was built in 1896. It is a three-aisled basilica with a perforated clerestory, flat ceiling and a bell tower with a pyramid roof. The church was inaugurated in 1897 and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The small church is located on a wooded hillside (at 1,532 m), visible from far away. It is a popular destination for leisurely walks and excursions into nature. The church was first chronicled in 1338. In successive years, it was re-built several times and finally inaugurated by the bishop of Trento in 1698. The neo-Romanesque high altar distinguishes itself through its beautiful baroque statues, and the altar piece is also very attractive.

The "holy ghost church / hospital church" in Sterzing / Vipiteno was built in 1399. In the nave are late Gothik-style frescos (1402) of the Southtyrolien painter Hans von Bruneck, which demonstrate the most important truths of the doctrine. Notable is Holy Sebastian, who was included in the prayer and finally chosen to be patron saint and got his place in the church of "Heiliggeist / Santo Spirito". The wing next to the church of "Heiliggeist" was in the past a hospital and the care applied to palmers and sick and old persons. The importance of this church can also be seen in the emblem of Sterzing the picture under the spread eagle demonstrates a palmer on crutches with a rosary.

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates from 1499 and the side chapel was added around 1600. It had to be rebuilt after being burned down both in 1885 and in 1924. Today it is considered one of the most beautiful sacral baroque examples in the entire Venosta Valley. The church is open all year. Worship Sun 8.30 am in German

The Magdalena church was built from scratch in 1705, because in 1629 was already built a chapel dedicated to St. Magdalena. The altar dates back to the Renaissance and was probably already in the first chapel.

The church of St. Valentin is a late Gothic building and is situated in the centre of Prettau/Predoi. Inside the church there is a special highlight among other sacral artefacts, the altarpiece.

This very early church stands in the south-east part of the village, in the midst of green meadows. The church was built in the Romanesque style by the von Tschengels as their proprietary church at the end of the 13th century; it then benefited from the pastoral care of clerics from Tschengls. The last member of the Tschengls died in 1421. Inside the church John the Evangelist and John the Baptist are revered as patron saints. In the course of time the church was adapted to contemporary architectural styles and enriched with devotional pictures. Particular sights worth seeing are:

• Romanesque and Gothic frescoes
• the gallery from c. 1600
• the wooden baroque ceiling and pews
• a grave-stone from the Counts of Tschengels
• the frescoes uncovered in the last century
• two frescoes by Karl Plattner (1948)

The last constructional measure was the reroofing with small shingles in 2002.

Guided tours in English  on request

For visit only during the year, please contact the tourist office in Prato allo Stelvio.

High up on a sunny slope, at 1,640 m a.s.l., is the small St. Moritz Kirche church. The Crusaders probably rested here, while on their way to the Val Venosta/Vinschgau Valley. Later, it served as a hospice for Church travelers on pilgrimages to Rome. Today, the St. Moritz Kirche is a popular hiking destination. Cultural fans, in particular, are attracted to views of the impressive fescoes from the 15th century. Also note the pointed arch portal, rebuilt in the late Gothic period, decorated with a simple stucco vault from the 17th century and the main altar with a picture of St. Moritz.

In 1336 we find the first evidence of an independent Montan parish priest. Whether he already lived in this house, however, is not attested. Only in 1537/38 - Christian Seidl from Reichental in the diocese of Salzburg was parish priest at that time - is a Widum mentioned, which is described as very small, old and dilapidated.

The parish priest Alexander Giovanelli, who worked here from 1702 to 1743, rebuilt the vicarage at great expense and settled the matter with the parish and the church provost in 1734.

The frescoes, St. Nepomuk (water and bridge saint and at the same time the only saint with a star wreath) and the "Mater Dolorosa", whose worship was promoted by parish priest Alexander Giovanelli, were probably also painted at this time. In the Widum there is a panelled farmhouse parlour with an old fireplace, as well as an archive with 233 volumes and baptismal, marriage and death registers from the 16th century. These have been preserved despite looting and arson by the French.

In the cadastre of 1775, the Widumhof has a stable and barn, "torggl" (wine press), herb garden and small meadows with fruit trees, arable land and vineyards.

Piazza Gries, with the architectural complex of the Abbey of Benedettini di Muri-Gries on the right handside, is right in the middle of the quarter. The monastery, initially hosting Agostinian monks (1406), was damaged by peasant revolts in 1525 and destroyed during the Napoleonic wars. It was suppressed by the Bavarian government in 1807 and donated by the Austrian Emperor to Benedectine Muri Monks (Switzerland) in 1845. The oldest centre is the castle, built by the Morit-Greifenstein Counts in 1200, and whose original 'mastio' (tower) today is the church's bell tower. It hosts one of the heaviest bells in Alto Adige (5,026 kg).