Churches and monasteries

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

A chapel dedicated to Santa Cristina existed here probably at the end of the 12th century. A Romanesque church was mentioned in a papal document in 1342. The bell tower walls, up to the roof eaves, date back to that period. The church was extensively altered and enlarged: the choir is in the Gothic style, and a polygonal ossuary was added in the 16th century. The main altar (1690, Vinazer dynasty of sculptors) is worth a visit. The bronze statue of St. Philomena by Dominik Mahlknecht, once in the ossuary, is now in the main sqare of S. Cristina.

The small pilgrimage church Unsere liebe Frau im Walde stands on the Schmelz, in middle of the wooded Martell Valley, where a mine is mentioned as early as 1448. This charming miners' chapel was donated in 1711 by the Counts Hendl from Kastelbell, sold in 1816 due to famine, extended with a tower in 1856 and rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style in 1894. Until after the Second World War, the people of Martell moved in procession from the parish church in the main village to the chapel on the Schmelz for the annual celebration of the church consecration. The day of patron saints is on first Sunday in July, around the Visitation of Mary (2nd July), with a field mass and sermon by the erratic block next to the 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 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 (during the summer season every day).

The church Saint Martin in Fundres/Pfunders is mentioned for the first time in th year 1397. The contemporary church was built in 1808 - 1810 and contains a bell tower with an imperial roof from the 14th century. The barrel vault is decorated with ancient frescos. Generally speaking a very nice, little church.

Due to population growth, the little church of San Giacomo/St. Jakob had become far too small. So it became necessary to think about a new church in the centre of the village. The foundation stone was laid in 1951 and the church was completed in 1954. In 1964, ten years after its completion and opening, the church was consecrated by Bishop Josef Gargitter.

The present parish church, which we have before us is already the third church in Weißenbach/Rio Bianco. Already in the year 1000 stood near the present-day Kirchler-yard (hence the farm name), a small church, on a small level. However, this small church was a flood in 1336 not withstanding and was swept away.

The chapel of St. Peter is the symbol of the Municipality of Laives/Leifers, and is also depicted in the town’s coat of arms. It is located on a hill above Laives and dates back to the 12th century. The chapel was originally intended to be the chapel for Castle Lichtenstein. Next to the church there are only a few ruins left of the ancient castle, which was also part of a fortress below, which was built in 1160 and destroyed in 1290. Today the chapel can only be visited from the outside. Inside only the altar remains with its altar stone.

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.

St. Karpophorus Church in Tarres was taken over between 1212-1214 as a gift from Emperor Friedrich who was in possession of the German Order of Knights. The church tower, which was spared from being converted at a later stage, is probably the most beautiful of all of the structured roman towers in the Venosta region. The church forms part of the “Stairway to Heaven” project.

The church can be visited on request on Thursdays from 1.30 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. 

Church San Zeno at Pino/Pein S. Zeno in Pino was constructed during the 12th or 13th century. The chapel is located south-west of the Parish Church on a secluded hill between two ravines. The chapel shows the former Roman construction style at the door and window areas. The tower was added in 1794/1795. Major construction works took place in 1770. This could be the first time the church was vaulted. The frescos inside the chapel were realised by the Baroque painter Johann Mitterwurzer (1745-1788). The baroque altar construction with an image of Mary dates back to the second half of the 18th century. Also worth a mention is the bell dating back to 1539. The last restoration took place in 1987/88. The church is closed.

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.

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 Valentino Church The San Valentino Church was built in 1825 at Bagni di Moso / Bad Moos. The chapel was constructed in 1925 by Valentin Wassermann for bathing guests. In 1980 the chapel was renovated.

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.

This church is first mentioned in 1256. It is beautifully placed on a glacially eroded crag. It is thought that at one time it was a place for sacrifices, perhaps in Celtic times. The church can only be seen from the outside or through the window. 

The picturesque Castelbello Castle, first mentioned in 1238, was built by the Lords of Montalban. Majestically, it is situated on a cliff on the left bank of the Adige River. Because of its exposed position, the castle had to be protected by strong fortifications, which needed to be remodernized over the years. In 1813 and 1824, the castle was largely destroyed by fire. The Counts of Hendl rebuilt only a small part for residential purposes. At the end of a protracted court process held over decades between Count Siegmund von Hendl and the Republic of Italy for the possession of the castle, eventually a settlement was reached. This allowed the State to acquire the castle. The Castelbello Castle is the cultural center of the village. In addition to permanent exhibitions in Spring and Autumn, alternating art exhibitions take place here.
The building of the chapel followed in the late 13th or early 14th cent. The walls contain a frieze with the Twelve Apostles as well as texts from the Confession of Faith. Because the apostles are turned towards one another in pairs, the quotations are alternately written in plain and inverted script.

Opening times
Guided castle tours from July 5th until September 11 | 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
Closed on Monday
Spring exhibition by Hans Ebensberger from mid April to the begin of June
Autumn exhibition by Bruno Ritter from end of September to end of October

The church was consecrated in 1433. Valuable frescoes from the 15th century; one of the frescoes shows Mayenburg Castle in its original form.

Holy Mass:
Sunday at 7.00 and 9.00 in german language

In 1992 in the church "Unsere liebe Frau auf dem Bichl" the in Laces standing stone (3.300-2.200 B.C.) was found during restoration work by the State Monument Authorities. The stele, which is made from the finest Vinschgau marble, formed the supporting surface of the altar table. 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 in 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 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.

In the ancient documents it was also known as a "White Church" of Vandoies di Sopra/Obervintl, first mentioned in 1300. The church foundation is the only part preserved of the ancient Romansque building. The modern church, built in the late 15th century, is an example of the Gothic style The Renaissance paintings on the ceiling were made during the restoration works in 1891.

The two-story chapel with a beautiful Baroque altar was built in memory of the plague victims.

The parish church of St Martin is located high up on the Murkegel, before the Sonnenberg of Tschars, and it presumably rises up directly on top of the foundations of its Romanesque predecesor. It is a fourbayed hall church from the first quarter of the 16th cent. with a narrower choir that concludes in a three-sided apse. Its formidable tower with a Baroque onion dome rises up in the south. The interior was renovated in a Baroque style in the third quarter of the 18th cent.

Visit only on request!

Contact: Hannes Volgger +39 340 545192

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

Located on the left bank of the Adige River in the direction of Val Venosta (Vinschgau) valley, there is an accumulation of rubble from Plars. The villages of Plars di Mezzo (Mitterplars) and Plars di Sopra (Oberplars) are found here, as well as the beautiful Late Gothic Church Sant'Ulrico, surrounded by orchards and vineyards. The church was first documented in 1493, although it was most likely built even earlier. At the time, the church belonged to the Bavarian monastery of St. Mang in Füssen. The external frescoes on the southern side of the church are particularly worth visiting.

The first chuch building, which was mentioned in 1180, didn't survive, but its Gothic elements were integrated in the current construction. Startin from 1431 the church was several times restored and consercrated again. The original choir, the ogive topped main entrance on the west side (with the original mason's mark) and the bell tower were preserved from the old building.

This little church is located in Maia Alta (Obermais), below Labers Castle and near the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle. Because of its picturesque location surrounded by orchards and fields, it is a popular hiking destination. It is dedicated to St. Valentine, who was engaged as a messenger of faith in the region in the fifth century and was buried in the mortuary chapel of San Zeno (Zenoburg) Castle.