St Leonhard Church in Bulla

Above Ortisei in Valgardena, the hamlet of Bulla is located. In the village centre, the St. Leonhard Church is situated, it is the parish church of Bulla. While the building dates back to the 13th century and still shows wonderful Romanesque forms, the high altar dates back to the 18th century.

Already in the 13th century, there was a chapel in the village, dedicated to the patron saint St. Leonhard, mentioned in 1295 and 1355. From the then mentioned building the Romanesque tower is still existing, the rest was converted to Gothic stile in the 15th century and in the 18th century it was extended and converted to Baroque style.

Leonhard von Limoges originally has been the patron saint of the prisoners, shown with chains. Later the chains were interpreted as cattle chains, so St. Leonhard became also patron saint of the horses and cattle. The painting of St. Leonhard inside the church was done by Jakob Jenewein (1713 – 1745), a Tyrolean Baroque painter.