The church of San Vigilio al Virgolo (in German St.-Vigil-Kirche auf dem Virgl) is a Catholic church in Bolzano from the late Middle Ages, deconsecrated and now a private building.
What to see
The church began as Romanesque and was later rebuilt in Gothic style, and to that period, around 1390, the frescoes date. On the wall of the right nave is depicted the «story of Mary», on the left one the «story of Saint Vigilius»: they are works attributed to the so-called Second Master of San Giovanni in Villa, a Bolzano painter, perhaps a pupil but certainly influenced by the Paduan Guariento di Arpo, who had already worked in Bolzano, in the Dominicans' church. On the walls some coats of arms of the Weineck family are still visible. There are also frescoes on the façade, in poor condition, by the Master of San Valentino at Siusi, showing a knight on his deathbed, accused by the devil, and Mary and Saint Vigilius interceding for him.
The church was built at the end of the 12th or the beginning of the 13th century as the chapel of Castel Weinegg by the noble Weineck family, owners of the castle; the first documentation is of 1275, when the chapel is mentioned in the will of a certain Eberhard of Bolzano as the recipient of a donation. It stands on the site of a sacred building of the 6th century. It was seriously damaged when, in 1292, Castel Weinegg was attacked by Meinhard II, but was not completely destroyed, as the manor was.
Visiting
The church is deconsecrated and private, so it can be visited only on particular occasions, according to the sources; dates and arrangements should be checked. It is built on the slopes of the Virgolo, near the church of the Holy Sepulchre but, unlike that one, it remains little visible.
Our editors' tip
Since the interior can be entered only on particular occasions, look for the little church from outside, on the slopes of the Virgolo next to the church of the Holy Sepulchre, and find out whether openings are planned to see the cycle of frescoes of around 1390.
