Kerken en kloosters

The Church of Blessed Henry, patron saint of Bolzano/Bozen, is the youngest church in the district of Laives/Leifers. In 1853 donations were collected to make the construction possible. All donors were immortalized on a board in the church. In the church there are three altars, the picture of the high altar shows Blessed Henry. 

The famos glass paintings were build from the Augsburg School around 1520

Also if the chapel in Neunhäusern / Nove Case is situated on Rasner municipality, it belongs to the parish of Olang / Valdaora.

St. Jakob's Chapel was built in late Gothic style in 1513. On the outer wall, you can see two sundials from the 16th century. The chapel interior houses a pointed arch portal decorated with a little turret as well as two altarpieces.

In the 14th century a church dedicated to St. Jodok stood where the Church of Our Lady now stands. In 1674 it was replaced by an early-Baroque nave dedicated to the Queen of the Rosary, with only the base of the bell tower preserved from its predecessor. The builders were the Misconèl brothers from Tesero in the Val di Fiemme. The tower was completed in 1776/77 with an octagonal tambour and bell dome. The three-bay nave with barrel vault is divided by pilasters and transverse arches between rectangular and lunette windows; a right-angled cornice connects it with the recessed rectangular choir. There is a two-storey loft to the west.

The altar fittings date back to the late-Baroque era. The Queen of the Rosary can be seen between Saints Dominic and Catherine on the high altarpiece, with the side altars dedicated to the Saints Joseph and Anthony of Padua. The pulpit, of stucco marble, dates from the Classicist era around 1800.

An inscription refers to the first consecration of the church in 1199. The nave has a flat ceiling and is equipped with oylets. The choir has a semi-circular, vaulted apse with a Majestas representation and two well-preserved Evangelist symbols. There are traces of frescoes dating back to the 13th century. To the south of the triumphal arch appear the victims of Cain and the upper body of a fish-tailed siren. The head with long hair, the thoughtful expression and the gestures of the arms give the depiction a uniquely melancholic appearance, which contrasts significantly with the image of the demonic element in the other wall paintings.

The Church of S. Nicolaus is open from 15.04.2025 - 07.10.2025 every Tuesday at 2 pm for the guided tours in German and Italian language (3,00 € per Person, no registration needed).

Just like the innkeeper Georg Paprion from San Candido, also the innkeeper Johann Klettenhammer from Prato Drava, was a zealous pilgrim. Both lived around the same time, and like the outer church realised by Paprion, the Loreto Chapel realised by Klettenhammer also provides a testimony to Baroque devotion. The town of Loreto in Italy was a popular destination for pilgrims even in the 17th century, since drawings and paintings of its Chapel of Mercy can be found everywhere in Tyrol. Johann Klettenhammr brought back a copy of the miraculous image from his pilgrimage to Loreto, and constructed a chapel in the style and shape of the Chapel of Mercy - the Loreto Chapel - beside his house. The chapel was consecrated in 1650. It was struck by detritus carried by the flooding of the two rivers, the Mittereggerbach and the Mühlbach several times - the last time in 1965. For the inhabitants it was a miracle, that the chapel had never been destroyed by these miseries: hence, the Loreto Chapel became more and more of a destination for pilgrims. The fresco on the outside wall depicts the legendary transport of the house of the Sacred mother by angels to Loreto. Visiting times: daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The beautiful Romanesque church, dedicated to St. Leonard, was built around the 13th century. Its main altar dates back to the 18th century.

The Maria Heimsuchung chapel in Brennerbad/Terme di Brennero between the villages of Brenner/Brennero and Gossensass/Colle Isarco was built in the time of the noble tourism around 1900. In this period of time uncountable celebrities found accommodations in the gorgeous Grand Hotel and the village of Brennerbad/Terme di Brennero had also an own train station. However, a first chapel was already consacrated 1680 in honor of the Maria Heimsuchung chapel.

1882 effected the laying of the cornerstone to the chapel of today. Built according to the drafts of the master builder Josef Vonstadl, it was consecrated in 1886.

The Neoromanic building consists of a nave and two side aisles and a round apsis. The first high altar was made by F. Schmalzlaus from St. Ulrich/Ortisei, but it seems that already in the year 1889 the chapel received a new altar, made by the sculptor Stufflesser according to drafts by Johann Maria Reiter.

The church of the saint Valentin is located by the side of the road from Chiusa to Villandro. It is a single-nave construction with a presbytery and a lateral spire. In 1303 the church was mentioned the first time, though it burned down around 1400. During the reconstruction the church received the impressive gothic stellar vault instead of the flat ceiling. The altar inside is a splendid carved work and displays the bishop saint Valentin. Frescos at the west façade, which depict mother Anne with Mary Baby Jesus, are valuable art property. The figures are petite with a soft and round arrangement of the folds. Around 1400 the so called beautiful and soft style reached Tyrol and the patterned halos and picture frames with geometric adornment were characteristics of the style.

The church in Haselried was first recorded in 1436. The Church is build in a late Gothic style.

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

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.

Many centuries ago, when Alta Badia was still largely uninhabited, La Crusc (Holy Cross) seems to have been a pagan place of worship. It was probably the unfavourable living conditions of the area that led the first Christians to construct a sanctuary here.

Around 1010 the monks built a chapel at La Crusc where a small church was erected in the 15th century. At the end of the 17th century the church was deconsecrated by the then Austrian Emperor and was subsequently left to decay. Pilgrims and valley dwellers rescued the little church by partially rebuilding it, and some years later in the middle of the 18th century it was enlarged and embellished with a bell tower.

For a long time the existence of La Crusc as a place of pilgrimage had been established on the basis of documents from the year 1511. And then two further parchment documents emerged with evidence pointing to an earlier existence. The first mentioned a church consecration; the second contained the story of “Morellus de Caninis” who made a pilgrimage to Rome in 1500 in order to seek favours for the La Crusc church.

Numerous relics are preserved in the altar of the church, such as those of St Leonhard (to whom the parish church of San Leonardo/Badia is dedicated), St Hippolitus, St Virgilius (Bishop of Salzburg), St Mary Magdalena, St Agnes and St Barbara.

Nowadays there are several processions to the church during the summer season, and there is an important service on the first Sunday in June.

The present parish church is one of the most beautiful baroque churches in the country, dedicated to John the Baptist and John the Evangelist and was built in the years 1783-1788.

The church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist although it isn't possible to determine the year in which it was built with any degree of certainty. The 16th Century gothic polyptych, together with the 'versus populum' marble altar by the sculptor Karl Grasser, the magnificent window by Robert Scherer and the wooden figure of the Pietá are all of particular interest.

Worship Sat 7.30 pm, Sun 9.45 am in German language

Although consecrated in 1281, St. Margaretha, the late Gothic parish curch in Schabs was only completed in 1454. By the end of the eighteen century its interior had been reconstructed in Baroque style with its poral framed in Stone. It is worth noting that the 72 m bell-Tower is unusually tall and narrow.

The octagonal building was built by Daniel von Elzenbaum, who was the administrator of the curacy of Sterzing. It was consecrated in 1631. A space arranged as a choir accommodates a simulacrum of the Holy Sepulchre, which is still opened and decorated every year for Easter.

On a small hill, in a sunny position, there is the settlement of Peterbühl. The hill, which tower is an important historical site. Here are the origins of Völs am Schlern and the entire region of the Schlern. People settled here many thousands of years before Christ. Today, the chapel of St. Peter am Bühl stands somewhat apart in the greenery. Above the door you can see the crossed keys of St. Peter, and next to them the coats of arms of the Thun and Firmian families: they are of Regina von Thun and Katharina von Firmian, the two wives of Leonhard the Elder of Völs. The altar from the 16th century is on display in the Völs Parish Museum. The decorative paintings are made in the year of 1600 in style of renaissance.

A beautiful place for a leisurely walk directly in Völs am Schlern. Several seating options provide a relaxed atmosphere and invite you to relax. A small children's playground can also be found along the circular path, as well as a statue. Sometimes there are some goats that come to the Peterbühl and provide a good company. In summer you can take a guided tour to see the Peterbühl church from the inside.

The parish church of St. Peter was built according to the plans by Matthäus Wachter in the 18th century and was dedicated to the saints Peter and Paul. The late baroque frescoes were painted by Joseph Schöpf, one of the most eminent painters of Tyrol. The bell tower dates back to the year 1897.

Beneath St. Andrä, in a charming position on a hill, the small church of St. John the Baptist is situated in Karnol. Mentioned already in 1133, the renovation and the decor of the 15th century characterize the little house of God.A tender net- vault covers the inside, that impressions with cycles of frescoes of different periods. Beside the life and the death of the church patron John, the works of mercy and some saints, the martyrdom of the saint Ursula is of extraordinary quality.The representation in the apsis dates back to the Renaissance (around 1520), it shows the return of the saint Ursula with 11,000 virgins from Rome to Köln, where arrow riflemen of the Huns’ king Guam kill her. The wide scenery of the frescoes is flanked by John the Baptist and John the Evangelist.

The Church of Visitation dates back to around 1640 and inside there is an octagonal-shaped choir enclosure, originally with stucco ornamentations. On the North-facing wall, there remains a faded fresco of St. Sebastian the martyr, which dates back to the original construction.

Holy Cross Curch The continuity of the cult reaches from the early Middle Ages over the Roman and gothical church to the present building, which developed around 1679. The inside surprises by the winding and ceiling paintings, which probably come from a native painter. In the apsis is the cross of the master Leonhard from Brixen.

The church of St. Martin was mentioned for the first time 1380.

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.

Conciliar church dating back to the sixteenth century, with an adjoining monastery of the Capuchin friars. It is located adjacent to the Porta Venosta (Vinschger Tor) Gate. Masses in German: Weekdays: 6:30 a.m. Sundays and public holidays: 7:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Masses in Italian: Weekdays: 7:30 a.m. Sundays and public holidays: 8:30 a.m.

St. Peter forms an independent parish, Lajen's parish priest, however, looks after the spiritual welfare. Churches, which are dedicated to Saint Petrus usually point to a high age. The parish church in St. Peter documentarily reaches back to 1241. The church was already rebuilt in the 15th century, so nothing more reminds of the originally Romanesque building today. Today's baroque making is even younger, it was consecrated in 1767. In the inside are great ceiling frescos, which were painted from Josef Arnold,who also painted the blanket frescos of the parish church in Lajen. Three paintings are attached to the parapet of the gallery: Peter cures the lame (on the left), Saint Cäcilia (in the middle) and the conversion of Saint Paulus (on the right). The high altar dates from the building time of the church. The painting represents the farewell of Peter and Paulus. The side altars have different saint figures which have been made in the 18th century. The figures at the outside of the pulpit show figures which symbolize the three cardinal virtues (faith, hope and love).

The St. Nicholas church in Mittelberg is first mentioned in 1289. This church was enlarged in the Gothic style in 1400 and has kept its appearance from that time. The tower is somewhat later than the church and was probably built in the 14th Century. It is made of natural stones laid in regular patterns. Possibly in 1400 the upper levels were altered to the Gothic tyle and the existing windows date from that period. In 1744 a rather large onion dome was added. It does not fit the building but is still quite pleasing. Another reason for building the church was the competition between the summer visitors to Klobenstein and those of Maria Himmelfahft. In Klobenstein they did not wish to be behind the people who were building their own church in Himmelfahrt at the time.

Patronal feast: November 6th The late Romanesque rotunda was probably connected to a medieval pilgrim hospice. On the frescoes on the inside, at the feet of the sculputre "St. Leonhard with the chain", the coat of arms of the lords von Fuchs is recognizable. Around 1420 a new building of the church was built. The equipment came from the "Grabenkirche" of Bolzano.

Tower in Pianizza di Sotto
The medieval residential tower was owned by the lords Fuchs von Fuchsenberg in 1739.

Source: Parrish office Kaltern

Most of the sacred buildings are bound on legends, like the parish church in Sorafurcia. A bear shall have attacked the Arndt farmer whereon he built a church.