Churches and monasteries

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.

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)

At an altitude of 1520m, Pietralba is the most significant place of pilgrimage in South Tyrol and among the region’s popular destinations, especially since the visit of Pope John Paul II in July 1988. Highlights include the large monastery and its collection of votive.

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 the village centre the picturesque parish church is witness to a pious past. Its tower is typical of the Roman Age. The foundation of the parish, according to local lore, dates back to Charles the Great. The church is surrounded by modern artwork. In the graveyard, the Vinschgau artist Luis Stefan Stecher immortalised himself a few years ago in 18 paintings, the "Dance of the Dead" frescoes. The illustrations, of great artistic significance, depict the farming traditions and character of the region, and draw our attention to social outcasts and to our eternal accompaniment, Death.

The baroque Parish Church dates from 1738, though the tower remaining from an earlier building is Gothic. The artist Paul Troger from Welsberg was one of the most famous 18th century artists in all Austria. In 1737 he donated the three altar pictures to his home village.

Parish church St. Genesius.                                            

The parish church at Lana was built on the sites of a much older Romanesque church and consecrated in 1492. Of particular interest ist the Gothic altar by Hans Schnatterpeck. It has carved figures, some in life size; the altar reaches a height of 14.10 m; it is the largest Gothic altar in the whole Alpine area.

The parish church of Niederlana is among the most beautiful examples of South Tyrolean Late Gothic art. Its magnificent winged altar by Hans Schnatterpeck is known far beyond the borders of the country.

The Schnatterpeck altar is 14 m high and 7 m wide and is thus considered to be the largest winged altar in the Alps. It is carved from chestnut wood and elaborately gilded. The altarpiece was created at the beginning of the 16th century over a period of 8 years by the Swabian sculptor Hans Schnatterpeck and his journeyman. The altar was paid for by the citizens of Lana (approx. 800 people) themselves. Schnatterpeck received 1,600 Rhenish Gulden (i.e. the value of 3 farms) and 8 cartloads of wine.

The carved representation of biblical content contains a rare depiction of the Throne of Grace (God the Father holding the body of Christ on his lap), flanked by the life-sized statues of the apostles Peter and Paul. After carving, the altar was painted by Schnatterpeck and his journeyman and finally decorated with ducat gold. The altar was raised and consecrated around 1511 in the parish church of Niederlana and has never been removed, not even during the World Wars.

Holy Mass:
Friday at 19.00 in german language
Sunday at 10.00 in german language

Information and registration for groups:
Email: gruber.ida@alice.it or Mobil +39 333 434 259 6

The church is only open during guided tours!

During the fasting period, the altar remains closed!

Beautiful, renovated Baroque church with onion roofed steeple. The original hospital church was consecrated in 1370. Inside on the altar pieces of the high altar representation of the baptism of Jesus and of the side altar St. Elisabeth by Franz Unterberger (1707-1776).

Holy mass in italian language: Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri at 09.00 am, Sat at 06.00 pm
Sunday and ecclesiastical holidays at 06.00 pm in July, August and Christmas

10 meditational spots are found along the side of the path until you reach the "Franziskus and Klara" chapel, the ruin from the Toblburg Castle.

Built at the start of the 15th century in the Gothic style, the frescoes in the church are by Johannes of Bruneck and date from around 1420. The crypt of the Ursuline Church is the oldest part of the entire cloister building and dates from the period around 1410; the crypt space is almost empty, but hugely atmospheric - sanctified by centuries of the silence of the dead.

Holy Mass: Mondays to Fridays at 5.30 p.m., Sundays and holidays at 10.30 a.m. (in German language)

Paul Troger, Baroque painter, was born on 30th October 1698 the son of a sexton and dressmaker in Monguelfo. His “Troger-blue” is still mesmerizing.

The high altarpiece and the two side altarpieces in the parish church of St. Margaret were donated by Paul Troger to his home church. Paul Troger gave them as a gift to his home church, which was rebuilt from the ground up in the years 1736-1738.

The high altar painting shows the Holy Margareth with the Apostles Peter and Paul, Bishop Ulrich and St. George, the dragon slayer. The right side altar image represents a single successful composition of the adoration of the Magi, on the left side altar of St. Johannes Nepomuk shows how he distributed bread to the poor. 

Another work "St. Apostle Judas Thaddeus" by Paul Troger can be viewed at the Raiffeisen Bank, in the immediate vicinity of  S. Margereth Parish Church.

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.

St Anne´s Chapel was built on a slab of rock south of the middle of Kastelruth. This High Baroque structure was consecrated in 1724 by Kaspar Ignaz von Künigl, Prince- Bishop of Brixen. The question of who served as master builder remains unresolved, but there are stylistic similarities to church buildings by the Delai family of master builders from bolzano.

The parish church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary represents a monument to generous design.

The romanic church of Saint Valentine was built between the 12th and 13th century. The development of the church is connected with the ruins of Castle Greifenstein. The tower was built around the 15th century. 

Pastor Heinrich Videsott was born on July 3, 1912 in Mantana near Brunico and died on December 9, 1999 in La Val. Pastor Videsott particularly stood out for his spiritual charisma, his deep piety and great compassion. He showed an unlimited willingness to help and was an ambassador of the goodness and love of God.

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.

The Chapel of St. Helena is particularly impressive on account of its rich frescoes, a major work of the Bolzano school of painting from around 1400. Art historians state that these are closely related to the murals in the Parish Church of Terlano and the Church of St. Catherine in Aica by Fiè. The Niederthor crest on the triumphal arch strongly suggests that the painting of St. Helena – like that in Terlan – was commissioned by the noble Niederthor family. Concealed behind paint for a long time, the coat of arms was once more revealed in 1885 and fully restored in 1938.
The outer walls feature images of St. Helena, St. Christopher and a crucifixion group on the façade, while on the south wall towards the apse there are representations of Mary with the infant Jesus and the three Holy Virgins, Catherine, Barbara and Margaret.
Inside the church, vaulted frescoes in the nave show the four evangelists with their respective symbols, each with an excerpt from his gospel. In the apse Christ appears enthroned as judge, surrounded by the symbols of the evangelists. The series of the twelve apostles below was partially destroyed during a subsequent extension of the windows. The triumphal arch points in the direction of the nave to the story of Cain and Abel, while the intrados depicts scenes from the Creation. The side walls of the nave feature images from the life of the Mother of God and Jesus’s childhood: the Annunciation, the Visit of Mary to Elisabeth, Mary and Joseph, the Adoration of the Magi, the Presentation at the Temple and the Flight into Egypt. On the west wall opposite the altar are St. Helena, St. Sebastian, a proclamation and the Bishops Ulrich and Wolfgang.
The church is Romanesque in its basic features and probably goes back to the 12th century. The small, rough stone relief to the far right of the façade dates from the 14th century. In 1410 the church was re-consecrated following completion of the painting. In 1500 the tower was given its wide pointed-arch window; the deeper-lying, coupled round-arched windows were bricked up. The altar structure dates back to the first half of the 17th century; the altarpiece is signed “J. G. Plazer 1723”.
The Church of St. Helena stands, according to legend, on silver ore. An ancient tradition tells of mining activities in the immediate vicinity of the church: G. Innerebner lists the church hill below the prehistoric settlements as a probable place of worship and orientation.
A detailed description and interpretation of the frescoes appears in the colour guide “St. Helena near Nova Ponente” SB 21 (M. Frei).

The late Gothic church of Colfosco, with the Sella Massif in the background, is a popular photo motif of the Dolomites.

The parish church of St. Vigil was first mentioned in 1419. In the following years it was restored and expanded several times.

Particularly interesting are the neo-Gothic lobby on the outer facade with a grooved and beveled pointed arch portal, the bulbous spire and the church altar. This dates from the late 19th century and is from the local artist Johann Valentin - Badia. In the middle niche of the altar there is an 18th century picture of the Virgin Mary and on the sides there are the statues of St. Vigilius and St. Kassian. For safety reasons, the valuable statue of St. Vigilius has been replaced with a copy.

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 churchin S. Maurizio/St. Moritzen was builtin 1512.

The romanesque church called St. Kathrein has a gothic apse and dates from the thirteenth century. It has well-preserved frescoes from the fourteenth century and a winged altar in the late-Gothic Tyrolean style (which can only be see through an opening in the portal).

The story

Like many other churches in the region, the St. Kathrein church in Hafling was built on a site that was originally a pagan place of worship. Presumably there was already a small church standing here in the twelfth century, which was destroyed by fire in 1202. The only parts of the church that survived from the period before the church fire are the regularly stratified walls of the flat-roofed nave.

Fifty years later, a Romanesque church had already come into being, which was newly consecrated in 1251. In the late Gothic period, the church was rebuilt again. Two hundred years later, in 1452, it was once again rebuilt and rededicated.

The late-Gothic winged altar is a valuable decorative element of the church. The central part of the altar cabinet contains three wooden figures: the patron saint, St. Catherine, flanked by John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene.

The Legend

According to legend, the local people wanted to build a Christian church on this site. They charged two giants to procure stones. The giants, however, had promised to build at church in Lafenn at the exact same time. Having only one hammer between them, the two giants had to share. Eventually, a conflict arose between the pair over the hammer, so the Lafenn giant picked up an enormous boulder and threw it at the St. Catherine giant. The boulder missed its target, but can still be seen in the meadow near Sulfner, just below the church.

Dates church tours 2022:
30.05. | 13.06. | 27.06. | 04.07. | 11.07. | 18.07. | 25.07. | 08.08. | 16.08.* | 22.08. | 29.08. | 05.09. | 19.09. | 03.10. | 24.10. | 31.10.2022

The parish church Riva-Rein was built 1908-1911. You can see the typical characteristics of the new gothic style.

The cathedral of Brixen/Bressanone is one of the most important sacred buildings along the Alpine area. Its origins go back to the year 980 AD. Due to a major fire in the 12th century, it was redesigned in romanesque style with a three-aisled nave and two façade towers. In the 18th century the baroque reconstruction took place, to which the cathedral owes its present appearance. Inside, the baroque idea of triumph was brought to perfection with wonderful ceiling paintings (f.ex. in Paul Troger's Adoration of the Lamb). The cathedral has a valuable interior with 33 different types of marble. The high altar, which was completed by Tehodor Benedetti, is one of the most important baroque altars in Tyrol. In addition, this church was equipped with a magnificent organ.

The Church of St. Ulrich was mentioned in the archives as far back as 1164 and only its large Romanesque bell tower survived a devastating fire in 1400. The church was rebuilt in Gothic style
and consecrated in 1403. The two Baroque-era paintings by the famous Vinschgau Valley painter, Simon Ybertracher (1694 – 1772), are well worth seeing. The new Church of St. Monika was built next to the old St. Ulrich Parish Church, and is open to visitors during the day.

The church in Lapago is first-mentioned in 1426.
Already in 1480 it was re-consecrated after reconstruction.
1812-1815 the master-builder Johann Priller from Vandoies has built the new church.

The church in Kematen in Taufers/Caminata di Tures was built on the end of the 13th century.

Less than two years under construction, a new church was consecrated
by Bishop Ivo Muser on 27th August 2017, to coincide with St. Monika’s
Day. The new church follows a very simple layout. After literally crossing
through an oversized marble cross at the entrance, the first thing you see
is a coloured light falling on the altar through the dome. The new church is
well worth a visit.

The little church of St. Peter was built in 1396 but was destroyed during the flood of the Tanas river. A new church was built around 1500, the ruins of which can be seen just below St. Peter's Church. St. Peter's church, which is still standing today, was built in 1769 in baroque style and consecrated in 1782. The four-station Meditation Trail leads from Tanas to this little church.