Churches and monasteries

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.

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

The chapel was built in 1849 by the bricklayer Michael Kofler. It is dedicated to S. Maria Goretti - martyr of innocence.

Where today the neo-gothic church of S. Pancrazio stands, used to be the oldest church of the Ultental Valley. The remains of the old long house walls are still preserved. The church was rebuilt in 1338, and in the second half of the 15th century the choir and the vaulting of the nave were built. Around 1890, the Baroque interior was replaced by a Gothic Revival interior.

The tower clock with richly painted dials and the holy figures on the church doors are particularly worth seeing. The pointed arch portal adorns the neo-gothic carvings of Blasius Mayrhofer, a native of Ultental Valley. Look out for the impressive high altar dedicated to the patron saint of S. Pancrazio and the Gothic 15th century Madonna on the right side altar.

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 newest part of the village from a settlement point of view is located on a gigantic scree. Only the church, which usually provides the centre of the village, is located on a panoramic hill. It is definitely one of the most beautiful church hills in the region! The parish was devoted to the patron of water St. Nicholas. This saint was often chosen in villages prone to overflowing by raging rivers (ancient German winnen = raging). In 1507 the Prato Drava parish church was first mentioned in a document within the framework of consecration. The traditional rectangular floor-plan of proto-Romanic construction was transformed and renovated in Gothic style around1500. The elegant construction with ogive windows and portal has maintained all its Gothic charm, including the floor-plan, the section with support pilaster and pilaster strips , the triumphal art and the polygonal choir stall. Unfortunately in 1821, the vaults were stripped of their ribs, and only a Coronation of Mary and a representation of the legend of St. Nicholas (approx. 1505) are all that remain of the original frescoes in the Church of Prato Drava. The epitaph of the Klettenhammer family with its architectonic frame dates back to the 17th century. The altars, pulpit and confession boxes that date back to the early 19th century exemplify a unified and extremely rustic Baroque style. A steep path with the Stations of the Cross and four wayside shrines leads to the church hill. The wooden statues in these wayside shrines realised in rustic, realistic Baroque style show scenes from the Passion of Christ: The Mount of Olives, the Flagellation, the Crowning with Thorns, Jesus carrying the Cross; the Crucifixion group located in the graveyard is also of the same genre and period (1700 circa). Visiting hours: The church is only accessible during mass celebrations.

The parish church to the hl. Ursula was first mentioned in the 14th century. From this first church today only more fragments, such as the tower and the side walls are preserved.

The construction of the parish church of St. Joseph began in 1764. The baroque country church is decorated in rococo style in the interior and impresses with many details. The church was consecrated in 1768.

The parish church is located in the centre of Ridnaun.

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.

The church, mentioned for the first time in a letter of indulgence from 1338, has a neo-gothic winged altarpiece with beautiful figures (including the patron saint of St. Nikolaus), two neo-Romanesque side altars and 18th-century paintings. The crucifix on the triumphal arch dates from the 17th century. Around 1900, the Val Gardena carver Josef Senoner made today's church door. Their two wings represent the awarding of the key power to St. Peter. The glass windows on the front of the presbytery show St. Notburga with sickle and St. Cecilia with lyre.

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 parish church to the hl. Veit was inaugurated at the beginning of the 16th century and restored again and again during the past centuries, even after the great fire in 1783.

The Marian Sanctuary is located in the village of Senale in the region of Alta Val di Non. Various legends surround this place of pilgrimage, on of the oldest of South Tyrol.

On 1.184 the first stone of  the Sanctuary was placed. On 1.432 the church was enlarged, to get the present shape. At the beginning of XIV century the pilgrims flow, decreased, so the convent, attached to the hospice, lost its independence, then to belong to Augustinian order of Gries, Bolzano.

Today's Parish Church in Tscherms/Cermes was consecrated in 1270. The church tower still dates from this period, whilst the church itself was rebuilt in 1928/29 and furnished with altars and murals.

Holy Mass:
Saturday at 18.30 (in summer at 19.00) in german language
Sunday at 9.00 in german language

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 church in Antlas was built around 1360 and has two stone framed arch doors. During the restoration an early gothic mural was found. The key to visit the church can be borrowed at the Zunerhof.

Little Chapel with view to the dolomites of Sesto / Sexten The San Antonio Chapel was built in 1930 and is located at Mitterberg / monte di mezzo. Sebastian Holzer and his wife Anna Mitteregger constructed this chapel around 1930 as a result of a vow that the wife should recover from a severe illness. The chapel was dedicated to S. Antonius from Padova.

The parish church of Laives/Leifers – Where past and future meet

The parish church of Leifers is made of two parts, a historical one and a modern one. The historic part was first mentioned in 1286 and contains the miraculous image of Maria Weissenstein. Thanks to the former curate of Laives/Leifers, Johann von Kolb it is still possible to admire the statue. During the 70s there was already the intention of expanding the church. The Italian speaking community first wanted an own parsonage, but the bishop of that time was keen on reinforcing the connection between the two communities (Italian and German speaking), not separating them. Therefore, the decision to extend the already existing church has been made. The construction began in 2000 and ended 4 years later. The modern part has been christened in 2004. The form of the building is a symbol for acceptance, home, friendship and understanding and shows the way to an eternal home. As a sign for Christianity and resurrection, a triumphal cross has been put up over the altar. The different light inside the church symbolise Christ, who is the world’s light.

The altarpieces of the parish church to the hl. Nicholas holds a special treasure in itself: the statue of the Virgin Mary from 1450 by the famous Ulm master Hans Multscher. The organ with the seven registers was set up in 1904.

The little church of the saint Mauritius in Sauders is situated to the south of the village centre. The church was mentioned the first time in an official document in 1406. Around 1670 the little church was converted in a baroque style. However, the church and some surrounding houses were burned to ashes by the French in 1793. Nowadays, the painting at the high altar represents the patron saint of the church. The key for a visit can be received at the “Winklerhof – farm”.

The St. Michael’s Church plays a relevant part in contributing to the scenic appearance of the village. The construction is located nearby the main church of Villandro and was dedicated in 1344. Nowadays, the almost quadratic basement of the church acts as a funeral chapel. Sanct Michael, who is the patron saint of the dead, stands sentinel over the cemetery. The cemetery of Villandro represents one of the most beautiful and unusual cemeteries in the region. There are exclusively forged grave crosses and the front side of the grave crosses is averted from the burial grave.

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

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.

With the miraculous great Lord of Agumes the Church of St. Georg, visible from a distance, it turned into a popular destination for pilgrimages.

Even though Versciaco only became an independent parish in 1891, the church was first consecrated in 1212. The lower part of today's nave walls date back to this period. The initial construction consisted of a rectangular room with a small apse added to the east and a flat wooden ceiling. The last preserved remains of a proto-Gothic fresco date back to around 1300 and can still be admired: Saint Ursula and her companions. The church might originally have been devoted to this saint of noble lineage, also because all the Saints venerated until Late Medieval times were of princely blood or at least nobles. Every year, three processions from San Candido to this church took place on the Saint's feast day (22nd of July). During the course of the 18th century, the Gothic furniture was replaced by Baroque pieces. The Baroque altar sheets that were replaced by neo-Gothic altars (by Josef Stauder, San Candido) in the 19th century, were carefully preserved and hung on the walls of the choir stall with three pictures: S. Magdalene, S. Sebastian and S. Peter. Even though only the last of the three bears the signature of Seb. Unterberger, it is very likely that all three pieces were realised by his hands. Visiting hours: daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The church was built in the 14th century, but was extensively rebuilt in the 17th century. From this time date the today's doors, the round arch windows as well as the barrel vault originate. The 18th-century side statues depict St. Joseph and St. Anne. Outside, on the south wall, there is a Pietà (1916), and on the tower is a fragment of a Christopher from the 15th century.

Since the second century, there is a church on the hill in S. Valburga / St. Walburg. It is believed that their location dates back to an even earlier sanctuary. The tower and apse are Romanesque in style and date back to the 12th century. At the end of the 15th century, the windows were raised and equipped with pointed arches, which enlarged the formerly round apse and transformed it into a Gothic presbytery. In 1840 the nave was extended, in 1867 the bells were renewed. The high altarpiece represents Saint Walburg, the two side altars are dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary. Above the bow you can see a painting by Peter Fellin from Meran. From the same painter are also the murals of the patron saint of St. Walburg and those of her uncle, St. Boniface. Legend has it that the church has been relocated to the center of the village time and time again, but Saint Walburg has always returned to its hilltop location.