RS sacun kirche st jakob groeden
RS sacun kirche st jakob groeden

St Jacob’s Church

The oldest church of the Val Gardena is located close to an eponymous hamlet above Ortisei and accessible only by foot

Nestling near to the homonymous hamlet, the quaint church is located in the surroundings of the early "Troi Paian" high altitude trail, which already in long passed days connected Venice at the Mediterranean Sea with Valle Isarco in South Tyrol, passing the Val Gardena and crossing several Dolomite passes. We don't know exactly when the St Jacob's Church, called Dlieja da Sacun in Ladin, was built. Some historians believe that it dates back to the year 1181. According to local people it was built by the Counts of Stättenecke, which lived only in the second half of the 13th century. First written documents, however, date back to August 18, 1283.

The church is dedicated to St Jacob, Apostle and patron saint of travellers and pilgrims. The building with its idyllic St Jacob Wood Cemetery is 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, 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 and a Lenten veil dating back to the years 1620/1630. 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. They are reproductions - the originals can be seen in the Museum de Gherdëina (Val Gardena Heritage Museum) in Ortisei.

Contact info

Opening times

  • Sat 14 Dec closed
  • Sun 15 Dec closed
  • Mon 16 Dec closed
  • Tue 17 Dec closed
  • Wed 18 Dec closed
  • Thu 19 Dec closed
  • Fri 20 Dec closed

Despite careful control we cannot guarantee the correctness of the provided data.

Full timetables
Despite careful control we cannot guarantee the correctness of the provided data.

01/09/2024 - 12/09/2024

  • Mon 10:00 - 13:00
  • Tue 10:00 - 13:00
  • Wed 10:00 - 13:00
  • Thu 10:00 - 13:00
  • Fri 10:00 - 13:00
  • Sat 10:00 - 13:00
  • Sun 10:00 - 13:00

Admission

freely accessible

More information

Guided church tours in summer and winter once a week.

Suggest an edit/correction

Our editorial staff is always committed to ensuring the highest quality and accuracy of the information we publish. If you have suggestions to improve this page you can send them to us using the form below. Thank you in advance!

Close

Suggested accommodations

  1. Residence Cësa Ladina
    Residence Cësa Ladina
    Residence

    Residence Cësa Ladina

Tips and more infos