Kerken en kloosters

The Weiberbödele is a site dating back to the Bronze Age (approx. 2000-1800 a. C) where votive pyres were consumed. Nearby, numerous metal slags and a bronze axe were found, which suggests the existence of a forge. The mineral should not have made a defect if you think that Stelvio - which is accessed after 15 minutes of ascent respecting the marker 9 (h. 1302 )- was built and inhabited by miners working in the mines of the area.

Revered as Guardian of the Crusaders, St. Oswald was the King of Northumberland/England in the 7th Century. Today, however,he is known as patron saint of the Peasants and the Poor, as well as of Water and the Weather. 800 years ago, the St. Oswald Church and its lands
formed part of the Welfen-Klosters-Weingarten in Baden-Württemberg.
The Gothic church was redesigned in 1433 and renovated in 1669. The 17th Century altars, altarpieces and frescoes are the work of Simon Ybertracher (1694 – 1772), a baroque painter from Naturno/Naturns. The relics of the Gothic fresco on the southern wall was discovered during the last restoration.

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.

In 1220, the Church of San Giovanni/ St. Johann in Taufers was built as a Romanesque church in the shape of a cross. The fully frescoed groined vault depicts its Byzantine influence. It is worth seeing the Late Romanesque frescoes. Whole sections of the walls of the predecessor church from the 9th century were used to build the church. 
Later, the church was used as a hospice church and served as a common room and sleeping place for pilgrims. 

The church S. Johann in Taufers is open every day from 9.30 a.m. until 5.00 p.m..

Teh church is from the 19th century and the tower is from the 15th century

The church of Saint George in St. Georgen originates from the 12th and 13th Centuries. This original round church was previously the fortress chapel of St. Georgen or Alt-Schenna. When lightning struck in 1591 and nearly half of the church was destroyed, the central part of the church was strengthened with an additional pillar. The frescoes from the 14th Century are well restored and represent the martyrdom of Saint George, the Day of Judgement and the legend about Saint Nicolas. The Gothic wing altar shows Saint George on a horse, fighting with the dragon. It is also worth mentioning that there is a rare illustration of Saint Kummernus from the 17th Century. Legend has it that she was a king’s daughter from the Iberian peninsula. She had taken a vow to stay a virgin. However, her father, the king, wanted her to marry. In this difficult situation, she prayed she would grow a beard, so to disguise her face. Her prayer was answered, but her father got her thrown into the dungeon and nailed to a cross. The only remain from the former St. Georgen fortress is the keep, which is known today as the ’Uhlentower’.

Already 1341 was there a chapel; It could be that the church of San Paolo was the first chuch of Rodengo. The church is closed and not possible to visit.

The mystical Hill of Tartsch towers amidst the green valley of Upper Vinschgau Valley, surrounded by the villages of Glurns/ Glorenza, Matsch/ Mazia and Mals/ Malles. Due to its position as viewing platform, the schist drumlin was already settled in prehistoric times. In the 11th century A.D. the Romanesque St. Veit Church dedicated to St. Vitus was erected upon a pagan cult site. It is one of the few churches that were never restored and displays precious medieval murals.
The Romanesque frescoes, which unfortunately have only been preserved in a few places, are of great art-historical importance. The interior of the church has a wooden ceiling from the 16th century. 
Traces of fire can still be seen in some parts of the church. These date back to the Engadine War of 1499. 

The church S. Veit is open from June to October every Thursday at 5pm for the guided tours in german and italian language (Info: +39 0473 831190).

Bad Egart Chapel was built in the 18th century and is dedicated to Our Lady Mary. The little church is located in the Töll area and belongs to the oldest spa in Tyrol, Bad Egart. The history of the Egart health spa appears to go back to Roman times.

Bad Egart was once among the best-known health spas in the vicinity of the spa town of Meran. In the past, only renowned spas also had a chapel. For this reason, the owner in those days, Joseph Joachim von Wolfenthal zu Spauregg und Gaudententurm had a chapel built for his guests during the renovation of the bathhouse in 1730.

Today the little spa church is a pilgrimage chapel. Over the years, many visitors have written down their wishes and thoughts in letter form. The chapel is also believed to help reconcile separated couples.

The structure of Bad Egart chapel was altered in 1926 and renovated at the end of the 20th century in keeping with the wishes of Karl Platino. It is a protected monument.

Opening times: see Restaurant / Museum Bad Egart / Onkel Taa opening times.

In Bronzolo/Branzoll we find one of the most beautiful church squares in South Tyrol with the romanesque and late gothic parish church St. Leonhard.

Small alpine chapel on the alpine pasture of Rodengo and Luson and a nice place for a short rest.

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

This is a late Romanesque chapel with barrel vault, circular apse and a short bell-tower. The wall paintings on the outer wall dating back to the 17th century show the miraculous rescue of Platzlinder meadow: God threw his lightning bolts from the clouds and Saints Cyprian and Justin open their coats in order to protect the meadow and the grazing sheep. This painting is based on a legend handed down orally, which confirms that the original main settlement of Tires is not where it stands today, but in S. Cipriano.

The original church of San Leonardo in Bronzolo/Branzoll had become too small and so the new neo-Romanesque parish church was built in 1896. It is a three-aisled basilica with a perforated clerestory, flat ceiling and a bell tower with a pyramid roof. The church was inaugurated in 1897 and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The St. Jacob Church was built in a location that already in pre-Christian times was a place of worship. Today’s late Baroque church since 1775 covers a Romanic chapel and a Gothic church. The Madonna on the high altar and the three female figures on the southern side altar date from the Gothic period.

A monument of the High Baroque, it is located at the eastern entrance of the old country road in the village center.

The mausoleum was built between 1860 and 1869 according to the plans of the Vienna architect professor Moritz Wappler, as a burial place for Archduke Johann of Austria and his family. The church is situated on an artificial terrace at the western edge of the church hill and is one of the earliest and without doubt the most successful sacred building in the Neo-Gothic style. The building was constructed of red sandstone and granite from the Ifinger region. In the underground crypt chapel with its heavy ribbed vaults, there is the marble sarcophagus of Archduke Johann and his wife.

In the 18th century Baroque elements were added. Its windows portray the maid Katharina Lanz, heroine of Spinga/Spinges who stood up to the attack of the French with a pitchfork. The memorial plaque can be found on the southern side of the church

The location of the chapel on the highest point of the San Silvestro Valley, has been identified as a prehistoric hillfort. Pre-christian sanctuaries were mostly build in such high located spots. It is therefore possible that also the San Silvestro Chapel was one of the pre-german shepherd's sacred places with a sacrificial altar.

A House of worship was mentioned in Terento in 1362, a church must have been there long before this however. Bishop Hartmann from Bressanone consecrated an altar in 1162. A new long nave was constructed in 1683/84. The Parish Church was extended from 1848 to 1850 and re-designed in a late Romanic style. A comprehensive restoration took place in 1964. During the course of this restoration, the foundation walls of an almost square-shaped church room from Roman times were discovered. Preserved from the late-gothic building are the choir with its three-sided completion, and the rectangular block stone tower with pointed acoustic windows. The long nave was reconstructed in late Roman style at the middle of the 19th century. The barrel vault dates back to the late Roman reconstruction and is decorated with ceiling paintings by Christoph Brandstätter. The ceiling paintings were restored in 1896. The altars of the Parish Church show the transition from classicism to late-gothic. Adjacent to the Parish Church you can admire a late-gothic Holy Cross Chapel, which was consecrated in 1520. The chapel impresses with a polygonal choir and a stellar vault.

Until 1860 the name of the Zallinger pastures was ‚Sassegg‘ which is Ladin-Bajuwaric meaning ‚hill on the big rock’, hence on the Plattkofel massif. From 1854, Karl von Zallinger-Stillendorf from Bozen/Bolzano with Bavarian origins is mentioned as proprietor. It was he who in 1857 prompted the building of the modest neo-Gothic chapel consecrated to the Virgin Mother. One year later, the little church was solemnly inaugurated. After its restoration in 1993, the Zallinger church needed a new facelift on the occasion of its 150th jubilee. The works were accomplished in autumn 2007 thanks to the generous backing of neighbours and sponsors. On July 28 2008 the accomplishment of the restoration was worthily celebrated.

The Holy Cross Chapel, built in 1755 in Rasciesa di Fuori (over 2200 m) is also worth a visit. The chapel was restored in summer 2012.
The chapel is located at Resciesa and can only be reached on foot in about 45 minutes, starting from the top station of the Resciesa funicular. It is a flat and easily walkable trail suitable for the whole family.

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.

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.

The hamlet of Tisens stretches down a southward slope to the west of Kastelruth. St Nicholas´s Church stands in the middle of the community, and its pointed tower defines the village´s general appearance. Tisens was mentioned for the first time in the urbarium (register of fiefs) of Count Meinhard II of Tyrol. The first written mention of the church , together with other filial churches in the Parisch of Kastelruth, was in 1353 in connection with the granting of an indulgence. It was expanded and given a vaulted ceiling in the 16th c. According to the inscription on the western gable, the roof´s framework was altered in 1712, and the furnishings were supplemented and restored under Dean Bamhack. around 1880. The wooden-shingle roofing was renewed in 2019.

The church is of Romanesque origin, and its dedication to the archangel also point to its antiquity. However, St. Michael´s Church is not mentioned in any document prior to an indulgence certificate from 1353. Parts of the masonry above the base of the church itself and in the tower are still from the Romanesque period. Gothic modifications were carried out after 1465. The nave was not provided with a vault until the 17th c.

These two chapels were build in the 17th century by Georg Paprion, a San Candido/Innichen resident. After his return from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1653 he decided to recreate the Sepulchral Church of Jesus Christ. 20 years before he had already built the first chapel.

opening times:
02.06. - 02.07.2023: FRI - SUN 10 am - 12 pm & 4 pm -6 pm
05.07. - 03.09.2023: WED - SUN 10 am - 12 pm & 4 pm -6 pm
08.09. - 01.10.2023: FRI - SUN 10 am - 12 pm & 4 pm -6 pm

next to the parish church is the "Cappella del Santo Sepolcro" (Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, 17th century), with lagre marble angels and fígures depiciting Jesus Christ

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 chapel Floriani is located directly on the village square next to the church.