Churches and monasteries

The parish church of St. Catherine and St. James is located at the southwest end of the village and was built in the 15th century. It is a simple neo-gothic building, where at the end of the bell tower instead of the typical neo-gothic pyramid, is a “copper helmet”.

The parish church was built around 1180 and the Romanesque church was consecrated in 1184. This was replaced around 1500 by a late Gothic building with a three-aisled nave and a single-aisled choir. This is indicated by the year 1498 carved on the lintel of the side portal.

The location of the church directly above the Rienzsch1ucht led to an unfortunate event in 1688. After the parish tower had already been severely damaged by lightning, particularly in 1687, part of the crumbling rock collapsed a year later, taking with it part of the cemetery adjacent to the church and, according to local tradition, the old presbytery. Soon afterwards, the damage was repaired by building a retaining wall at the demolition site so that it was possible to walk around the church again, and the cemetery was extended towards the castle. Between 1794 and 1795, the church was extended to the west and the Gothic ribs were removed. The removed vault ribs were restored in 1959.

The last restorations date back to 1983. The interior is largely neo-Gothic from around 1870, although some of the wooden sculptures on the high altar date back to Adam Baldauf (1616 -1618). The gravestones of various Wolkensteins, the lords of Line (14th century) and the caretaker Caspar von Gufidaun, the great opponent of Cardinal Nikolaus Cusanus, who died in 1458, remind us of the history and connection with Rodenegg Castle. The well-kept cemetery with its lawn and exemplary wrought iron crosses contains around 200 graves and a simple cemetery chapel dating from 1697 with the image of St. Michael with the scales of the soul.
In 2008, the entire belfry was thoroughly renovated and new sound shutters were fitted to the tower openings in 2013.

The parish church is situated in the old center of the village and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was built in 1674 in order to have a second church because the Church San Pietro was often not accessible due to flooding of the Rio Nero. The architecture of the church is modest and simple. Inside, the baroque main altar with the life-size statue of Our Lady stands out. The two side altars are simple Baroque altars and dedicated to St. Anthony and St. Joseph.

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

Patronal feast: January 17th The oldest parts of the church are in the tower (13th century) and in the nave walls. Around 1430, the Gothic Polygon Choir was added. The uniformly re-creation of the choir from 1472 have been carried out by the two painters Bernhard and Jakob, who worked in Bolzano. The great Christophorus on the southern façade is also a work of this painting group.

The church is accessible only during the holy masses (Monday 8 am).

Source: Parrish office Kaltern

The first written documentation referring to this church appears at the end of the 14th century. From this era, the bell tower remains today, with its double-mullioned windows surmounted by triple-mullioned windows and frescoes on the façade representing the saints Anne, Catherine and Margaret, Christopher with the baby Jesus, and St. Michael, to whom the church is dedicated. In 1672, the church was restored, supplied with a barrel vault, and supplemented with a new chancel, side altar, and sacristy. Particularly rich are the decorations of the choir stalls: The scenes depicted on the parapet stem from the 17th century and represent the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth, the Adoration of the Magi, the circumcision of Jesus, the flight from Egypt, and the Massacre of the Innocents. The busts painted on the lower part of the choir stalls represent the twelve Apostles and date back to the 18th century. The interior of the church is bare due to the theft of the furnishings and sacred images in 1969. The stolen original altarpiece was replaced by a representation of St. Michael fighting evil.

 

Patronal feast: 6th of December

The core building dates back to the 13th century (late Romanesque brickwork on the tower floor and on the west wall). Around 1520, a new building was built by construction workers from Como. Vault paintings have been made by Bartlmä Dill Riemenschneider, son of Tilman Riemenschneider. Since 1733 pilgrimage place.

Source: Parrish office Kaltern

A monument of the High Baroque, it is located at the eastern entrance of the old country road in the village center.

It's difficult to find such a beautiful church ensemble as in Vandoies elsewhere.

The Gothic church of St. Peter, built in the 16th century, is located at the southern entrance to the village of Auer/Ora, next to the local cemetery. In past times, it was the most important church of the surrounding villages and is situated in a pit about 5 meters deep and was often inaccessible due to flooding of the nearby Rio Nero stream. It had to be uncovered again and again and was finally protected by a stone wall. Today, after restoration work in the 1970s, the church is open to the public for Holy Masses and celebrations and houses the oldest organ in South Tyrol that can still be played. It was built in 1599 by the organ builder Hans Schwarzenbach.

The Capuchin monastery and its small church were built between 1617 and 1620. The church has a simple design in accordance with the style and regulations of the Capuchin Order: simple in terms of furnishings, bare walls, barrel vaults, and a side chapel on the south side. The high altar is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The pulpit and the side altars are neo-Romanesque and date back to the 19th century. The altar of the side chapel contains a statue of the mother of God with Child from the middle of the 16th century, which is said to have miraculous powers. Between 1999 and 2003, the whole complex was carefully restored. In the little church, this also led to the renewal of the windows and the benches, which – in harmony with the surroundings – are now simple and linear. Thus, the light penetrates through seven beautiful glass panes that seem to communicate with the faithful through their symbolic meaning of colors and number.

 

The parish church of St. Florian/St. Floriano on the old imperial road north of Laag/Laghetti was first mentioned in 1189, but it dates back to around 1145. The lower part of the nave dates from the time of its first mention (1189). The choir with the accentuated towering choir loft replaced an older end in the 13th century. The church of St. Florian is a unique artistic monument. In the nave, the old Romanesque building form is still preserved. Later, an elevated transverse square was attached to this nave, which was probably intended as a domed building. A round apse was attached to it in the 12th century, the exterior decoration of which features beautiful pilaster strips and a round arch frieze with various sculptures worth seeing. From 2005 to 2008, the church was restored from the ground up. The outside area around the church was also redesigned and a parking lot was built. On May 03, 2008, the church of St. Florian was consecrated by Bishop Wilhelm Egger.

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.

The chapel Floriani is located directly on the village square next to the church.

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 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 Neumarkt/Egna is dedicated to St. Nicholas. The Romanesque porch dates back to the 12th century and was renovated in the 15th century. The tower was built in the 13th century. The choir, built by the master stonemason Konrad von Neumarkt, is an excellent example of late Gothic architecture.

Patronal feast: August 16th

The church was built around 1516 as a votive chapel as to thank for having  escaped the plague.

Source: Parrish office Kaltern

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.

 

Documents mentioning St. John the Baptist Parish Church date back to 1164, although it existed long before (probably as a baptistery for the region), so it has already reached a venerable age. The Parish Church of Dorf Tirol/Tirolo is considered to be the oldest missionary church dedicated to St. John the Baptist in the area. The original Romanesque church (its tower is still preserved today) was eventually extended to include a Late Gothic choir.
One of the most interesting features of the church is the baptismal font of white Laas marble. The organ, with its large number of antique wooden and metal pipes is also a remarkable masterpiece from an artistic and historical point of view. The neo-Gothic high altar, bishop’s figures, statue of St. John above the baptismal font, oil paintings and crucifixion group are other works of art that are well worth seeing.
Among other things, Secco paintings from the year 1480 were brought to light by the renovation work on the Parish Church in 1969/70.

The Parish Church San Biagio was built in the 11th century in romanic stile. During some conversions till the 16th century it becames a Gothic church. Particularly impressive is the statue of the Merciful Mother inside the church.

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 parish church of Cauria is dedicated to Santa Margherita. It was built in the 13th century and rebuilt in gothic style.

 

 

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.

 

The parish church of Pochi is dedicated to Sant'Orsola. The church was built in romanesque style in the 14th century, the church spire dates from this period. The gothic chancel was built in the 15th century.

 

The parish church of Montan/Montagna is dedicated to St. Bartholomew. The majestic façade of the church fits perfectly into the picturesque village-scape. The neo-Romanesque broad front is impressive. The tower, which dates back to the 12th / 13th century, is the oldest part of the church. The church owes its present form to a new building constructed in the 19th century (1875-1881). A special piece of equipment of the parish church is the pulpit, whose openwork sandstone tracery forms the year 1489.

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

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 parish church of St. Gertrude in Magrè sull Strada del Vino is one of the most curious churches in Bassa Atesina, since the church tower is separated from the nave by a street. This, however, was not always the case. The church was first documented in the year 1343; at this time, the nave was located next to the tower and was considerably smaller than it is today. In 1466, the church was rebuilt and the church tower, which contains two beautiful bells from the 16th century, was made taller in 1513. At the beginning of the 17th century, the rectory was built and building on a larger parish church was begun. For lack of space, the church was built on the other side of the street, which led to its separation from the tower. The new church was dedicated to St. Gertrude and the old building was torn down. The baroque interior of the St. Gertrude parish church is one of the most beautiful in Alto Adige. It is very bright and clearly structured. The altar wall is made of stucco marble and shows a fresco of St. Gertrude. The only original furnishings which remain are the side altars, certain sculptures and some paintings.

Patronal feast: November 25th

The church had a late-Romanesque preceding building, which has now disappeared. The new construction dates back to the 15th century, the choir Fresco (Marientod), to about 1400. Agnes von Werdenberg, the widow of Henry of Rottenburg, donated the fresco to the side altar. The church was built by architects from Como, around 1517.

Source: Parrish office Kaltern