St. Peter (Altenburg)

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The church ruins of St. Peter
Close up of the remains

The church of St. Peter in Altenburg near Kaltern, which has only survived as a ruin, is one of the oldest in South Tyrol ( Italy ).

The church ruins stand on a hill facing the Altenburg plateau on the east side, the St.-Peters-Bühel. The building dates back to the 6th century and was formerly accessible via a medieval stone bridge. The sacred building is first mentioned in a copy from 1191 of the “ Vigilius Letter ” in the parish archive of Kaltern. The settlement of the hill took place, as archaeological finds suggest, already in the Bronze Age . The external dimensions of the ruin are 17.24 mx 13.4 m. The three-aisled basilica has a vaulted apse with a round arch in the east and an adjoining room in the northeast. A north-south oriented, 2.2 m long and 0.7 m wide chiseled depression in the rock, 2.8 m from the south wall outside the ruin, should have been a prominent burial site; it has an elevated head position in the north. 1332 is documented of a monk Nicholas ( "Nich (e) lus monacus sancti Petri de Altenburga" ). In 1821 it is referred to as the “Vigilius grave”. According to legend, it is said to be the sleeping place of St. Vigilius , another interpretation sees the deepening as a prehistoric place of sacrifice and later Christian baptismal place.

Until 1786, cloisters from Kaltern still led here. The closure of the church in 1782 under Emperor Josef II and the removal of the roof including the wooden ceiling led to its decline. Of the rich fresco decorations, such as the “Last Judgment” by Master Thomas Egnolt (15th century) from St. Pauls , only a remnant of the marbling in the lower part of the apse has survived ; In 1847 Staffler said that on both sides of the ruined nave, “the twelve apostles were still painted in vivid colors with diligence and great art”. In 1996 archaeological excavations were carried out. After the construction of a suspension bridge in place of the medieval bridge and renovation measures on the ruins, the church ruins were consecrated again in 2000. A "Friedensweg" (Peace Path) , which was built between 1995 and 2000, leads from here, with seven reflection stations with works of art, over the Rastenbachklamm biotope down to the St. Anton district of Kaltern .

literature

  • The church ruins of St. Peter in Altenburg near Kaltern . (Leaflet, not specified, not published)
  • Leo Andergassen : South Tyrol. Art on site . Athesia, Bozen 2002, ISBN 978-88-8266-111-3 , p. 66 .
  • Anton Maurer: Churches in Kaltern . 4th edition. Schnell & Steiner, Munich 1978.
  • Johann Jakob Staffler : Tyrol and Vorarlberg . Vol. 2, Issue 2, Innsbruck 1847, pp. 806-808
  • B (enjamin) Vescoli: history, land and people of Castelvecchio near Caldaro. A contribution to the local history of the Überetscher area . Vogelweider, Bozen 1934.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hannes Obermair : Bozen Süd - Bolzano Nord. Written form and documentary tradition of the city of Bozen up to 1500 . tape 1 . City of Bozen, Bozen 2005, ISBN 88-901870-0-X , p. 256, no.473a .
  2. ↑ Quoted from Vescoli: History, country and people of Castelvecchio near Caldaro. 1934, p. 6.

Web links

Commons : St. Peter  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Entry in the monument browser on the website of the South Tyrolean Monuments Office

Coordinates: 46 ° 22 ′ 44.8 "  N , 11 ° 14 ′ 27.9"  E