Churches & monasteries. In Gnadenwald
St Michael’s Parish Church – Gnadenwald
The ancient settlement of Wald, renamed Gnadenwald in 1680, had a centrally located little St Michael’s Church from very early on, alongside the little St Martin’s Church in Ausserwald. It was first mentioned in documents in 1337, but is thought to have existed some 300 years earlier. The tower and its immediate surroundings still bear traces of the Gothic style, as do the long, narrow church windows. Ceiling frescoes by Johann Anton Kirchebner, 1730. By 1825, the church had once again become too small and was extended, which is why it is now too long in relation to its width.
St Martin’s Monastery – Gnadenwald
It is said that as early as the 11th century, a hunting lodge with a chapel dedicated to St Martin stood on this site. First documented mention in 1337. Later, a hermitage was established here, inhabited by two forest brothers. In 1499, the nun Magdalena Götzner from Hall, together with her daughter, built a new convent. From 1935 to 2019, the Tertiary Sisters of St Francis from Hall lived in the cells that had stood empty for so long and ran a guesthouse here. St Martin’s was restored in 1950 and 1957.
“Maria Schutz” Chapel - Gnadenwald
Between 1965 and 1967, a chapel was built on the eastern slope above the Walderalm; it was erected by returning servicemen as a token of gratitude for having survived the Second World War and was consecrated under the name “Maria Schutz”.
The chapel is open to visitors.
