Churches and monasteries

The little church of Our Lady of Loreto was originally built on the left bank of the Titschenbach in the years 1719-1722 and fell victim to several floods. This led to the closure of the church in 1786. In 1795 it was reopened at the request of the local population. Masses were often celebrated here at the end of processions, asking for favourable weather, a rich harvest and the protection of the village from flooding. The church was restored in 1902 and 1994.

The church was constructed in 1498 in the late Gothic style and represents the second most important pilgrimage location in the South Tyrol after Maria Weißenstein. The picture of grace (a wooden sculpture of a standing Madonna with child) dates back to 1470. Of particular historical and artistic interest are the numerous carved tablets as well as a painting depicting the transfer of the picture of grace into the new chapel. Open all day.

The castle chapel of Hocheppan with its roman frescos is one of the most important roman art monuments in South Tyrol. The centuries old frescos had been painted over and were only entirely laid open in 1926. Besides religious themes, the hunting scene on the exterior wall can be seen as one of the rarest profane depictions in Tyrol dating from this time period. The wall paintings originate from the first decade of the 13th century and show famous illustrations like the foolish virgins, the dumpling eater - the first proof for Tyrolean dumplings - and the picture of 'Maria Heimsuchung' which is well known far beyond the border of South Tyrol.

Marienberg Abbey above Burgeis/ Burgusio dates back to the 12th Century. The highest located Benedictine abbey in Europe is situated at an altitude of 1,340 m a.s.l., since 900 years monks live here according to the rules of Saint Benedict of Nursia. Today, the main hall displays impressions about the daily life of the monks marked by Benedict's credo ora et labora. The exhibition displays also beautiful paintings such as the Romanesque Crypt frescoe with its unique depiction of angels.

Special exhibitions:

- Marienberg in front of and behind the lens
- Maria

Guided Tours
All information about guided tours and timetables can be found at https://www.marienberg.it/en/museum/guided-tours.html.

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..

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.

The parish church of St. Lucius in Tiss in Coldrano was given its uniform gothic design back in 1491. Its gothic mural painting on the southern side of the church is worth a look, also the marble gravestone laid by Governor Franz Hendl.

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.

In the centre of Schenna lies the Church Hill, notable for its three churches. Dating from the Carolingian era, the 12th Century St. Martin's Church amidst the cemetery is the oldest of them all. With two naves, each with a rounded apse and two centrally positioned octagonal pillars, it is used as a mortuary chapel. A little to the east of St. Martin's Church lies the 13th Century Church of the Assumption of Mary, the so-called “old parish church”. Completely rebuilt in the 16th Century in its existing Romanesque style, the church hosts religious services for small congregations, as well as functions such as baptisms and weddings. The more recent Schenna neo-Gothic parish church was built between 1914 – 1931, while the adjacent mausoleum was built for Archduke Johann and his consort in the years 1860 – 1869.

The "Kaserer Bild" chapel, named after the nearby farm "Kaserer Hof", is a traditional place of pilgrimage in Steinegg|Collepietra. The chapel is located directly on the street Riedl on the ridge of the mountain Riedl, an area that is one of the oldest settlements in South Tyrol. In its current form, the neo-Romanesque chapel dates back to 1871, with the small ridge turret added in 1874.

Inside the chapel you will find a lovingly designed, neo-Gothic altar with the image of the Madonna, called "Kaserer-Mutter". According to legend, this image of the Virgin Mary originally hung on a mighty larch tree that once stood exactly where the chapel is now built. The stories and legends surrounding the image and the building of the chapel tell of the deep faith and conviction of the people in the miraculous power of the ‘’Kaserer-Mutter‘’.

The chapel was recently renovated and is now in excellent condition. Holy masses are celebrated regularly in the summer months, bringing this special place back to life. 
The little church is only opened on such special occasions. Otherwise, it can only be viewed from the outside.
However, it is definitely worth a visit - not only because of its religious significance, but also because of the idyllic location and the fascinating history that surrounds this chapel.

Dates from the 12th century and contains stylistic elements from romanesque up to neo-gothic. The main portal in white marble was created by Oswald Furter in 1524. In the north aisle is a gravestone in red sandstone from the year 1350. The white marble gravestone, the small wooden altar and the statues of St. Anna and St. Joseph are works of the master sculptor Gregor Schwenzengast from Latsch. The large pictures in the altar room (18th century) are works by Simon Ybertrachter from Naturno.

The family Kiniger promised to build a chapel in 2013 and in the same year it was inaugurated. The chapel is situated in the Waldheim, nearby the Hotel Willy.

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 Holy Grave chapel is situated just below the road, which connects Waidbruck to Barbian, just near the Wohlaufhof (farmhouse). The chapel has a very simple baroque altar. This little chapel was probably built during the 17th century in connection with a crusade. This impression is strengthened by three road crosses, which can be found in the surrounding area. In 1701, the chapel underwent a renovation paid for by Mr. Leiter, the post master of Kollmann and was cleaned up again in 1983. Ask for the key from the nearby „Wohlaufhof“, tel. 0471 654 024

The St. James Church is located near the pre-Christian burnt offering site of Tschaufis. The walls of the nave date back to the 12th century and the bell tower was built in Gothic style. The gothic winged altarpiece from 1517 is the most precious piece of the church.

The Klösterle in St. Florian/St. Floriano was built in the 13th century as a pilgrims' hospice and offered accommodation to many travelers in the past because of its strategic location, 25 km (one day's walk) from Trento and Bolzano/Bozen. It is one of the few hospices of this type still completely preserved in Europe. It is believed that the famous painter Albrecht Dürer, on his first trip to Italy, sought a place to stay in the Klösterle because of flooding. The well-preserved unique art monument, in Romanesque style, is accessible to visitors via the Dürer path. During the summer months, events such as concerts and plays are staged there.

House number 17 of the Via Portici is a building of great historical and artistic interest, whose long period of restoration has allowed for the documentation of the construction and embellishment phases. At the end of the 15th century, the first construction phase took place, from which you can still see the original three-pointed arch vaults of the arcade and the late Gothic profile of the windows on the façade, walled in and substituted in later eras. The painted ceiling of the great central hall stems from the first half of the 16th century and is considered one of the most beautiful ones in the entire region. This hall is situated between the atrium and the back courtyard, measures 17 x 6 meters, and is illuminated by two triple-mullioned late Gothic windows. The ceiling is beamed, with painted friezes framing painted wooden boards that feature allegorical motifs, male and female portraits, and coats of arms of noble and village families of the area. In the middle of the 16th century, the atrium was completed, inspired by the Renaissance, characterized by incised decorations and by a loggia of semicircular arches on three sides of the second floor. The rich painted decoration of the atrium on the first floor stems from the end of the 16th century, while the frescoes on the façade date back to the 1600s. The building was purchased by the town in 1889 and donated to the parish in 1978; today, it is the seat of the parish community of Neumarkt/Egna.

 

During the 12th and 13th Centuries, this church was rebuilt in Roman style and again fully redesigned during the 16th Century. Since then, little has been changed. The Baroque high altar with the statues of Saint Franz Xaver and Johann Nepomuk was built around 1730 and redesigned in 1819. Apart from the four altars in the church, there are a number of valuable individual sculptures such as the late-Gothic Saint Sebastian and the Baroque Saint John the Baptist. The cross stations originate from the middle of the 18th Century. During the restoration work carried out in 1975, some beautiful old frescoes were discovered and the statues were skilfully restored. John’s chapel, which was extended toward the South-East, brought to light some very well kept frescoes from the 14th Century. These were found during the renovation work of the 80s. The frescoes show scenes from the legends about John and Pankraz, as well as the wise and the foolish virgins, the evangelists, angel choirs and other pictures of saints. Since the completion of the new parish church in 1931, it has been used for another purpose, rather than its originally intended goal. It has served as a store room and a practice room for the choir. In March 1981, the church was reopened and once more consecrated. Today, it offers a great framework for religious services and devotions in small circles and weddings. Just across the road, in the sexton’s house, there is a marble relief as part of a wall, which shows the coronation of Mary, which was created during the 14th Century.

Holy Cross Curch The continuity of the cult reaches from the early Middle Ages over the Roman and gothical church to the present building, which developed around 1679. The inside surprises by the winding and ceiling paintings, which probably come from a native painter. In the apsis is the cross of the master Leonhard from Brixen.

Saint Joseph Freinademetz, the saint of Alta Badia, is the first South Tyrolean Saint.

Today, the hamlet of Oies is a much-visited place of pilgrimage, especially the birthplace of the missionary Josef Freinademetz, who belonged to the Society of the Divine Word. The Steyl missionary was born in 1852 and died of typhoid fever in China on 28 January 1908.

He was beatified by Pope Paul VI in Rome on 19 October 1975 and canonised on 5 October 2003.

The cellar of the Oies farm was converted into a chapel and decorated with works by the artists Kollreider from Lienz and Lois Irsara from Badia.

the hermitage in a forest clearing was originally built by a farmer out of gratitude for the help that he was in 1775 by the mother of God bestowed. In 1886, the new chapel was built under Curate Joseph Stecher and equipped end of the 19th century, the interior with frescoes. The altar dates from the 18th century Categories: culture, Sacred art

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 first chapel of St. Valentin - a predecessor of today's church - was consecrated on 16 October 1140 and was the chapel belonging to St. Valentin's hospice, founded by Ulrich Primele from Burgeis.
The present church was consecrated on 4 October 1832. The old bell tower was left out of money - except for a small increase.

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 is dedicated to S. Andrea. It was mentioned first in 1215. The church was built in baroque style of sacred architecture. On the front you can see statues of the Saints Pietro and Paolo, Andrea and Nicolò and Mary.

 

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.

Prösels Castle is located in the village of Prösels, just before Völs am Schlern. The medieval building was first mentioned in a document in 1279, under the name "Castrum Presile." It received its current form in the 16th century. Leonhard von Völs, provincial captain and burgrave of Tyrol, had the castle converted into a magnificent Renaissance-style residence. An inscription on the outer gate of the castle attests to the year 1517 as the year of reconstruction. Until his death in 1530, Leonhard the Elder von Völs lived at Prösels Castle. In the following years, the castle changed hands about 14 times, until 1978, when the Kuratorium Schloss Prösels GmbH acquired the property. After extensive restoration work, it was opened to the public in 1982. Today, in addition to guided tours, concerts, exhibitions, and theater performances also take place there.

SUMMER GUIDED TOURS (May 1st - October 31st | Day of rest: Saturday):

Tours are conducted in German and Italian. For all other visitors, audio-guided tours in English and French are available. The castle can only be visited through a guided tour from May to October. Guided tours for groups are available year-round upon request.

Prices:

• Adults: €12.00

• Children (6-14 years): €7.00

• Groups (per person): €9.00

In Bronzolo/Branzoll we find one of the most beautiful church squares in South Tyrol with the romanesque and late gothic parish church St. Leonhard.

Already 1341 was there a chapel; It could be that the church of San Paolo was the first chuch of Rodengo. The church is closed and not possible to visit.

The Santa Barbara church, built in the late Gothic style, was built in the 15th century on a panoramic hill just outside the village of La Val.

Historical evidence indicates that the church built in honor of Santa Barbara, patron saint of miners, is the work of the miners of Valparola, who worked the iron minerals extracted from Monte Pore.

The painting on the outside wall depictings a crucifixion in the open countryside and various mural paintings inside are of particular historical value.

The Santa Barbara church can be reached with just a half-hour walk from the village centre of La Val along the "Memento Vivere" meditation path, consisting of the stations "Birth", "Childhood", "Youth", "Adulthood" and "Old age".