Kerken en kloosters

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 parish church of St. Dionysius in Morter was constructed in a gothic style, and was consecrated in 1479. The frescoes of painter Adrian Mair, which date back to the 17th century, are of particular interest, given that he hails from Laces himself.

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).

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)

The most prominent artwork of Tramin and at the same time one of the finest masterpieces of Tyrolean art can be found in the small St. Jakob church situated on a hill above the village.

It contains a well- preserved Romanescue fresco cycle dating back to about 1220. The figures portrayedin the colourful frescoes are quite atypical in painting since they are usually represented as stone sculptures. In fact, on the walls of the small chancel you can admire bizarre hybrid creatures with both human an beastly attributes, fabulous figures emanating from the myths of medieval times. They all seem to represent the sinful antagonism of the overlying scenes showing a graceful depiction of the Twelve Apostels with the enthroned Crist in the Mandorla, the almond- shaped aureole.

The southern annex of the chapel contains yet another jewel: here the painter Ambrosius Gander executed some bright and valuable murals, amongst which the well-known legend of the Pilgrims. The inscription tells us that these paintings were completed 1441.

The St. Oswald Church is situated on 2,365 metres in the hiking and skiing area of Meran 2000.

In 1641, the farmers of Hafling/Avelengo swore to edify Oswald as the patron saint of cattle and grazing, by building a chapel at the foot of the mount Ifinger and processing there on his name-day festival. The old chapel existed for almost 250 years at the original site, until a new building was erected in 1879.

Even today, there is a procession to the chapel every 5th of August, which is St. Oswald’s Day, with an open-air mass and a related church holiday. Many of the devoted from the surrounding area flock up to services at the little mountain church and pray for nice weather and good health for the cattle, for which Oswald serves as patron saint.

The Capuchin monastery (since 1626) and the Capuchin Church are kept very simply, in line with the principles of the order. Continuing along the Dantestrasse, at the road junction to Dietenheim you will find one of the oldest and most beautiful shrines in Tyrol.

Holy Mass Sunday and ecclesiastical holidays at 08.00 am in German language and at 09.00 am in Italian language.
Mon - Fri: at 09.00 am in German language

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.

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 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.

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.

The Dominican order established itself in Bolzano/Bozen in 1272 and built a church with a single nave inside a vast convent which branches off into different chapels, some of which have been lying in ruins, and a beautiful cloister. A part of the ancient structure houses the Music Academy shich, indidentally, Hosts the prestigious international piano competition Ferruccio Busoni. Also present is the Stadtgalerie, an art gallery which holds different exhibitions and other important cultural Events. The church has gothic archways, as well as baroque elements from the 17th and 18th century (such as the altar piece of Guercino to the left of the Major altar, which was bought by the merchants of Bolzano). The church preserves prestigious examples of paintings from Bolzano from the 14th century which can be found on the oriental side of the coister and on the western wall of the Church, but the real artistic jewel of the building is the Chapel of St. John, the Long and narrow side chapel which holds the cycle of frescoes of those painters who took Giotto es their role model, the so called "School of Giotto". Of particular interest are those scenes from the life of St. Nicholas on the last part of the oriental qall, and the fresco of the "Triumph over death " in the firs part of the same wall, the flight from Egypt on the western wall and the torture of St. Bartholomew on the northern wall. The entire chapel, decorated with individual frescoes of various themes, is a splendid example of 14th century art as practised in the Region. In the nearby coister you can also admire some frescoes by Friedrich Pacher which go back as far as 496.

The chapel of the castle was dedicated 1474 and renewed in the 17. century.

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

With a height of 86 metres, this church's bell tower is the tallest steeple built of stone in South Tyrol. In the early 20th century the medieval nave made place for the present design by the architect Franz Mayr, though the Gothic chancel har remained with its frescoes. The martyrdom of the curch's patron saints Julitta and Quiricus is depicted in a fresco cycle on the southern wall.

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. 

The Franciscan order settles in town in 1221; the present building Dates back to the rist haf of the 14th century, but the original ceiling, flat and with a choir of polygonal shape, has been replaces by a vaulted ceiling from the 15th century. The coister is a beautiful example of gothic art, which replaces the Romanesque style in which the rest of the building was built; there are different frescoes from various periods of time, including some from Giotto's School and some from the 17th and 18th century. The church still preserves an astounding wooden altar by Hans Klocker of Brixen (painted Wood - 1500) which was dedicated to the Nativity Scene. The choir of the church is embellished by the modern glass panels of Widmoser.

A little further north of piazza Gries stands the old parish church of Gries located in the middle of an antique cemetery. It is a late Gothic building, dating back to the early 1400, and hosts two stunning treasures: the altar of Michael Pacher (1471-75) and the Romanesque wooden crucifix of 1200. The first one is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Gothic art of the wooden altars with casket and hatch remaining today, while the second one, which probably in relation to north French sculpture is believed to be of foreign origin, is considered of great relevance.

The church stands in an area which was inhabited ever since Roman times. It was called "Keller", or "Chellare" (cellar), and later named "Gries", or sand. Until 1908 the wine farm of Bishop of Frisinga in Baviera stood next to the church.

The story of the Benedictine Monastry of Muri Gries Dates back to the 13th Century, commissioned by the Counts of Morit-Greifenstein. It was first inhabitated by Augustinian Monks, then pillaged during farmer's war, destroyed during the Napolenic war and discontinuing during the Bavarian government. The curch ist dedicated to St. Augustin and houses important frescoes by Martin Knoller. Access permitted only to the inner gatter.

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

It is the Cathedral of the Bolzano Bozen- Bressanone Brixen Diocese. It conceals the remains of an early Christian, Medieval and Romanesque (1180) basilica. A hundred years later works are commenced to build a new imposing building which is completed around 1420 by combining the expertise of workers of Lombardy with the gothic style brought by the Swabian expertise over the decades. The bell tower stand over the square, 65 metres tall, with a spire in openwork in sandstone by the Swabian architect Hans Lutz von Schussenried, who completed it between 1501 and 1519. To see: the cross built in Veronese style, the "Wine door", the Romanesque Portal with porch lions, the rose window, the fresco "Virgin with child" credited to Friedrich Pacher, inside the gothic pulpit, the baroque Chapel of the Three Maries.

The chapel was built by the local "Alpini" groups and it is dedicated to their patron saint, St.Maurice. It was inaugurated in Spring 2004. Open from mid of May till mid of October.

Gais has recently been enriched with a historical jewel-
 culturally.  After years of preparatory work, the
 mortuary skin, the so-called “ossarium”, has been transformed into
 in a small museum and made available to the public.
 The centrepiece of the museum is a cycle of frescoes from the period
 late-Gothic with a Universal Judgment unique in its
 gender and, next to it, the works on the redemption of
 poor souls, a kind of catechism for believers
 who at the time could not read.  In addition,
 admire the priestly vestments of Castelbadia  (Miscellaneous
 precious casulas) in a glass case and St. Constantine II
 (a complete skeleton) in a reliquary.

Piazza Gries, with the architectural complex of the Abbey of Benedettini di Muri-Gries on the right handside, is right in the middle of the quarter. The monastery, initially hosting Agostinian monks (1406), was damaged by peasant revolts in 1525 and destroyed during the Napoleonic wars. It was suppressed by the Bavarian government in 1807 and donated by the Austrian Emperor to Benedectine Muri Monks (Switzerland) in 1845. The oldest centre is the castle, built by the Morit-Greifenstein Counts in 1200, and whose original 'mastio' (tower) today is the church's bell tower. It hosts one of the heaviest bells in Alto Adige (5,026 kg).

Church near the graveyard. If you like to visit the church, you get the key in the Tourist Office - we need a deposit.

Parish Church with a valuable crucifix by Michael Pacher and an organ, built in 1983 by Mathis, the biggest in South Tyrol.

Holy Mass: Mondays and Fridays at 8:00 a.m.,

Evening Holy Mass: 6:00 p.m.

Sundays and holidays at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. (in Italian) and at 6:00 p.m.

All Holy Masses are held in German, except where indicated differently.

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.

Parish church St. Genesius.                                            

In 2022, on the initiative of the meditation group of La Val, and under the direction of labyrinth expert Gernot Candolini, a labyrinth was built in the centre of the area occupied by the former church of San Genesio. It is a simple Gothic labyrinth, consisting of five paths traced with brook stones. Many things here in Dlijia vedla remind us of the transience of life: the remains walls of the old church, the abandoned cemetery.

Memento mori - Memento vivere!

Everything passes quickly, and the moment never stops. So be shrewd and aware, enjoy the view, feel the hope that lurks in life, let yourself be inspired and blessed by goodness and change.

"This place here is a place of power, you must make use of it" Dr. Karl Gruber, Regional Conservator

                                

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.