Chiesa dei Santi Martino e Giuliano

At the foot of the Pale di San Martino, the parish church of Saints Martin and Julian is associated with the hospice and monastery that once stood at Castrozza. The complex was destroyed at the outbreak of the First World War and reconstructed in the 1920s; the church's bell tower is its sole surviving medieval vestige.

Why it matters

The hospice and monastery of Saints Martin and Julian were associated with the route between Primiero and Val di Fiemme. Martin of Tours and Julian the Hospitaller are patrons associated with travellers and charity. The church remains the parish church of San Martino di Castrozza.

What to notice

The bell tower is the sole intact medieval vestige of the complex. The church is oriented east, and its apse faces the Pale di San Martino.

Context and history

The parish historical account records a tradition of foundation around the year 1000 but regards a twelfth-century foundation as more defensible. It names the bishops of Feltre as probable founders; Primiero remained under their jurisdiction until 1786. A document records privileges granted to the convent by Popes Lucius III and Benedict X, and Bishop Philip of Feltre consecrated the church between 1210 and 1213. The monks left around 1418, while a priorate continued; it purchased the Alpe Rolle pastures in 1384. The Albergo Alpino began beside the monastery in 1872. The hospice and monastery were destroyed at the outbreak of the First World War and reconstructed in the 1920s, with the church's bell tower the sole intact medieval vestige.