Churches in the Stubaital

Church of St. Georg

The Rococo building in Neustift is the second largest village church in Tyrol. The interior surprises with its magnificent furnishings. In 1516, the first church of Neustift is consecrated to St. George. During a conflagration in 1772, the church is almost completely destroyed and not rebuilt. The new parish church is again consecrated to St. George in 1780. From the outside, the church, a Rococo building in the village centre, looks very simple. The interior is, however, quite magnificent and furnished with frescoes by renowned masters . The beautiful graveyard contains the grave of the “Glacier Parson” and co-founder of the Alpine Association, Franz Senn. The church was built after plans of the clergyman and church designer Franz de Paula Penz, whose buildings can be found all over Tyrol. In 1812, Neustift becomes an independent parish. In 1993, the new organ with three manuals is being consecrated.

Church of St. Vitus

The parish church, consecrated to St. Vitus, was built in 1746/47 by Franz de Paula Penz in the Rococo style. The fresco with the church patron in the tympanum on the external facade is the work of the Augsburg-based Academy Professor Johann George Bergmüller. He also created the ceiling frescoes on the inside, which are the main ornaments of the church, together with the rich Rococo stuccowork. The sculptures at the high altar and on the high altar piece represent the church patron St. Vitus in the midst of the 14 holy helpers.

Church of St. Margaretha in Medraz

The succursal church in Medraz is a small baroque central-plan building created about 1746/47. The place of worship, heavily damaged by floods of the Ruetzbach stream, had to be renovated in 1833. The high altarpiece shows the beheading of St. Margaretha, the figures represent St. Blasius and St. Sylvestre. The beautiful tabernacle, the Rococo pulpit as well as the ecce homo in chains are impressive.

Church of St. Pankratius

In 1593, a fire in the steeple melted the church bells. In1626 the now still existing tower was built in the Gothic style. Franz de Paula Penz erected a new church building in 1754/55 using the existing tower. The magnificent, large baroque church, completed in 1756, was decorated with wonderful ceiling frescoes by the painter Anton Zoller, who originated from Telfs in the upper Inn valley.

Nativity Church of Mary

The oldest church in the Stubaital in gothic style was renovated on the inside in the baroque style from 1737 to 1739 by Franz de Paula Penz. On occasion of the 1990 interior restoration, remaining walls of an early Christian church from the early 8th century were discovered. Visible from far and beyond is the beautiful, 53 m high gothic pointed steeple. Already in 1348, a deed mentions a church in Mieders. 
Anton Gigl, the famous “Stukkatore” who among other works created the wonderful scrollwork on the Helblinghaus in Innsbruck, cut the delicate early rococo stucco works in the church interior. Jakob Jenewein painted the impressive ceiling paintings in 1739. Generally considered the most valuable work of art is the larger-than-life late Gothic choir arch crucifix from around 1500, which ranks among the most important crucifixes of North Tyrol.

Church of the Holy Cross

The parish church of Schönberg was built in the rococo style in1748/49 as the last place of worship in the Stubaital by the famous religious architect Franz de Paula Penz. As so often before, the highly gifted church builder succeeded in winning outstanding artists to work with him.