Zillis Painted Ceiling

The church of St Martin at Zillis has a flat wooden ceiling of one hundred and fifty-three painted panels, made around 1114 and surviving essentially complete - which is what makes it exceptional, since Romanesque painted ceilings of this kind existed widely and almost none came through intact. The outer ring shows sea monsters and winds, framing the world; the inner panels run through the life of Christ and the legend of St Martin. The style is Romanesque with clear Byzantine influence, and the painters are unknown. Because it is overhead and dimly lit, the church provides angled mirrors on trolleys so visitors can study panels without craning. The village sits on the old route to the San Bernardino pass.

What you actually see

• 153 panels from about 1114 - a complete Romanesque cycle, unique in Europe.
• Monsters and winds on the border - the frame representing the edge of the world.
• Mirrors on trolleys - the practical way to look at a ceiling.
• A church on the pass road - the old route south over the San Bernardino.

When to go

All year. An hour.

Honest expectations

The church is small and the ceiling is high and dim - photography without a tripod is hard. It may be closed during services. Interpretation is largely in German. The village has few other facilities.

Nearby

The Viamala gorge is north; the San Bernardino pass is south.