The Ol' 11th-Century Chapel on the Shady Slope of Nördersberg

The Ol' 11th-Century Chapel on the Shady Slope of Nördersberg

Tucked away in the Alps, the Romanesque-Gothic Church of Saint Vigilius in Morter, South Tyrol, presents quite a conundrum. This chapel, one of the oldest in the Vinschgau, is rumored to be constructed before the Heiligkreuzkapelle Müstair in Graubünden. What dusty secrets does this old chapel keep?

Sitting at the base of the Nördersberg, the Church of Saint Vigilius in Morter, South Tyrol, is a peculiar Romanesque-Gothic chapel, among the oldest in the Vinschgau region. Whispers say it was built as early as 1080, even before the Heiligkreuzkapelle Müstair in Graubünden. It's an intriguing Romanesque three-conch building that managed to survive in the Vinschgau. The church was blessed by Bishop Heinrich I. of Trient in 1080. Scattered frescoes remain in the chapel today, some of which were tenderly brought back to life by the conservator Carl Atz. Interestingly, the village was first mentioned in the 9th century in the Churrätian Reichsgutsurbar of 842/43 as the 'village of the lime burners'.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Nicolo Ciampini

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