The church of Santa Maddalena (in German St. Magdalena in Prazöll) is a characteristic Romanesque church of the 13th century in Bolzano, in the historic district of Rencio, in the locality of Santa Maddalena, a wine-growing centre that gives its name to the wine St. Magdalener.
What to see
The interior of the church is covered with fine frescoes, made in two different phases, one towards the end of the 13th century and the second in the second half of the 14th, showing the Passion of Christ and ten scenes from the life of the Magdalene. Among the images in the nave is Christ in the Mandorla, typical of many Bolzano churches. The paintings of the Crucifixion, the Stoning of Saint Stephen and the Coronation of Mary are kept in the Museo Civico of Bolzano. The high altar is by Oswald Krad. During the 1960s an important restoration gave back to the church the linear paintings that cover the apse.
The area of Santa Maddalena, anciently called Prazöll, is attested for the first time in a document of the episcopal church of Bressanone between 1170 and 1174, as Placedell, when a certain Otacher vom Berg donated a property located here to the chapter of Bressanone cathedral. The Romanesque church is first documented in 1295 as ecclesia sancte Marie Magdalene de Placedelle and stands in a striking, scenic position at the foot of the Renon, facing the Catinaccio.
Visiting
The church is at Santa Maddalena, in the Rencio district of Bolzano; opening hours and access to the interior should be checked, because the sources consulted do not give them.
Our editors' tip
If you manage to get in, look in the nave for Christ in the Mandorla and the scenes from the life of the Magdalene; outside, enjoy the church's setting, at the foot of the Renon and facing the Catinaccio.
