St. Proculus Church

Naturno, Italy

The small St Proculus church near Naturno is undoubtedly a historical treasure. It dates back to the 7th century AD and features the probably most ancient frescos of the German speaking area and the most complete early fresco cycle of Tyrol. Furthermore there are some Gothic frescoes from the 14th century.

The building itself has been established between 630 and 650 AD. The age of the oldest pre-Carolingian frescoes, however, is rather contested, new datings refer to the period of time between the 7th and 10th century. The most famous fresco shows a man on a swing, probably St Proculus himself.

Only a stone’s throw from the chapel, there is also the Proculus Museum, which has been inaugurated in 2006. The museum is allocated subterraneously and takes visitors into 1,500 years of history of the area around Naturno. Four time-space showrooms take you across late antiquity, Middle Ages and early modern times. Moreover in the museum you can admire the Gothic frescoes which have been taken down from the walls of the St Proculus church.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 630-650 AD
Category: Religious sites in Italy

More Information

www.suedtirolerland.it

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

florian pöschl (2 years ago)
Went there as a family (children 5 & 8 years old) and everyone loved the museum and the chapel itself. Toilets were clean, everything was barrier-free. Conclusion: Small and delicate probably sums it up best.
Antonio Pistore (2 years ago)
Splendid ancient church with precious Carolingian frescoes. The building preserves the charm of times gone by intact. Unfortunately it is difficult to find it open...
Gianluca Sacchi (5 years ago)
Unmissable stop in the Romanesque tour in Val Venosta. Splendid frescoes, unique for their iconography. San Procolo which seems to swing is not to be missed.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.