Novacella Abbey

Founded in 1142 by the bishop of Bressanone, Novacella has been continuously occupied by Augustinian canons since, apart from a brief Napoleonic suppression, and it runs one of the oldest working wineries in the world on the same site. The complex includes a round chapel of St Michael, fortified and modelled on the Holy Sepulchre, a baroque church, and a rococo library holding around seventy-six thousand volumes under a painted ceiling. The vineyards on the valley slopes produce Sylvaner, Kerner and Gewürztraminer, and the abbey also grows fruit. It was a hospice on the pilgrim route north from the Brenner.

History

The abbey's story begins in the 1140s, when Blessed Hartmann became bishop of Brixen; building began in 1142, and in April 1143 Pope Innocent II confirmed the monastery's possessions. A fire gutted it in April 1190, and it was rebuilt over several years under Provost Konrad II of Rodank, the church being consecrated again in 1198 (Wikipedia, Neustift Abbey).

Highlights

• The round chapel - a fortified rotunda modelled on the Holy Sepulchre.
• The rococo library - some 76,000 volumes under a painted ceiling.
• The working winery - production on the same site since 1142.
• The cloister - Gothic frescoes in the covered walks.

When to go

April to October; the library and cloister are seen on guided visits at set times, closed Sundays. The wine shop keeps its own hours. Harvest is September.

Good to know

Interiors including the library are only on guided tours with fixed times. Sunday visits are limited. The abbey is working and access varies with its calendar.

Nearby

Bressanone lies south; Val di Funes is south.

Key facts