Churches & monasteries. In Hall in Tirol

Hall in Tyrol boasts a wealth of churches, chapels and distinctive church towers. As well as the parish church of St Nicholas, Hall is also home to the Damenstift with the Herz-Jesu Convent, the Jesuit Church and the Magdalene Chapel. All of these can be explored for yourself using the Locandy digital city tour or visited on a guided tour.

The parish church in Hall was built before 1281 and consecrated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of miners and sailors.

Following Hall’s incorporation as a town in 1303, the single-nave Gothic church was extended to include at least a larger chancel. In 1345, the church tower was erected; its upper section collapsed during the earthquake of 1670 and was replaced by a Baroque onion-domed tower. Although a new nave was built in 1352, the church proved to be too small again after just a few decades. In 1420, the church was extended once more, though this proved to be a difficult undertaking. As the church stands on the edge of a terraced slope, the southern wall of the nave had to be rebuilt in the place of the old one, meaning that the interior could only be extended to the west and north.

In the 18th century, the interior of the church was also given a Baroque makeover. The ceiling frescoes are by the Viennese court painter Adam Mölk. The high altar dates from 1657 and was created by Erasmus Quellinus, a pupil of Rubens.

The Waldauf Chapel is located in the northern aisle. It was here that Knight Florian Waldauf of Waldenstein (d. 1501), a confidant of Emperor Maximilian I who had risen from the ranks of the Tyrolean peasantry, donated his ‘collection of relics’ in 1501, comprising over 100 precious relics. Modest remnants of this collection can still be seen today in several wall display cases. The focal point of the chapel is the statue of the Virgin Mary, attributed to the circle of Michael Pacher.

Next to the parish church stands the Chapel of St Mary Magdalene. This two-storey chapel, Romanesque in its core and rebuilt in its present form in 1330, is the town’s former cemetery chapel. The ground floor now houses a shop, whilst the upper chapel, accessible at ground level from the church square, has served as a war memorial since 1923. The frescoes in the two ogee arches of the east wall depict, in the northern panel, the Madonna enthroned, flanked by four saints, and in the southern panel, the Adoration of the Magi; the paintings are attributable to the early Weich style and date from around 1400. A good half a century later, the large fresco depicting the Last Judgement was created in the western panel of the south wall. Particularly impressive is the lower section of the painting, depicting the resurrection of the dead from their graves and the mouth of Hell. The fully preserved winged altarpiece was created around 1490 and originates from the former monastery church of St. Magdalena in the Halltal valley. The open shrine displays carved figures of the Virgin Mary flanked by St Margaret and St Catherine, whilst the predella features a sculptural depiction of the Nativity. The panels on the inner sides depict scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, whilst those on the outer sides show St Henry and St Sebastian.