St Jacob’s Church

The oldest church all over Val Gardena

Nestling near to a hamlet of the same name, quaint little St Jacob’s Church lies slightly above Ortisei and can be reached only by foot. In the surroundings of the St Jacob’s Church you will find the Troi Paiàn high altitude trail, which already in long passed days connected Venice at the Mediterranean Sea with Val Isarco in South Tyrol.

We don’t know exactly when the church was built. Some historians believe that it dates back to the year 1181. According to local people, however, the church was built by the Counts of Stetteneck, which lived only in the second half of the 13th century. First written documents date back to August 18, 1283.

The church is dedicated to St Jacob, the patron saint of travellers and pilgrims. The church as well as the idyllic St Jacob Wood Cemetery are surrounded by a shingle-roofed circular wall.

In the course of the centuries, the originally Roman building was reconstructed and changed several times. Today the Gothic style dominates and the interior boasts both Gothic and baroque elements. The most precious part of the church is probably the presbytery, featuring beautiful Gothic frescoes that date back to the late 15th century. Of importance from an artistic and historical point of view are also the wall paintings from the late 16th century near to the pulpit. The richly decorated high altar, its winding pillars and the gilded figures representing princes of church, apostles and angels are an especially valuable evidence of the local sculptors in the baroque era.

The sculptures and several pieces of art of the St Jacob’s Church are reproductions; the originals can be seen in the Museum de Gherdëina in Ortisei. The museum hosts, moreover, a Lenten veil dating back to the years 1620/1630.