St. Stephan (Morter)
The St. Stephan chapel near Morter (municipality of Latsch ) in the South Tyrolean Vinschgau lies on a rocky ridge at the entrance to the Martell valley . Obermontani Castle is located on the same ridge , only around 130 m to the east, and the smaller Untermontani Castle to the northeast .
history
There are no early mentions for the Stephanskapelle. Karl Atz was able to discover an inscription that can no longer be found today, which dated the consecration of the chapel to the year 1487. However, the patronage of the martyr Stephen indicates the existence of a considerably older previous building. The source material still available today begins in the late 15th century.
Building description
St. Stephan has a simple, 8.7 meters long and 8.2 meters wide nave with a retracted rectangular choir. This early type of church building is also a reference to an older predecessor building, which could still be preserved in remains in the east wall. The other architectural features, however, refer to the 14th and 15th centuries. There is a small bell wall on the west facade.
Frescoes
The entire interior of the chapel is covered with frescoes. The north wall ( St. Stephen's story ), presbytery (triumph of Mary, apostles, evangelists) and triumphal arch ( Antonius Abbas , Ursula martyrdom , several saints) were designed around 1430/40 by a painting workshop influenced by Lombardy. The south and west walls (Passion cycle, Last Judgment) were painted by a Swabian workshop until 1487. The numerous graffiti by visitors to the chapel, which were installed between the 15th and 20th centuries, are striking.
literature
- Leo Andergassen : Montani: St. Stephan chapel, Obermontani, Untermontani (= castles . 9). Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-7954-2464-0 .
- Dorothea Anna Maria von Miller, The Gothic wall paintings in St. Stephan near Obermontani , Diploma thesis, University of Vienna 2012, online on the E-Theses server of the University Library Vienna .
Web links
- Entry on Obermontani, Untermontani and St. Stefans Chapel in the monument browser on the website of the South Tyrolean Monuments Office
Coordinates: 46 ° 36 ′ 1.1 ″ N , 10 ° 49 ′ 29.7 ″ E