Chiesa di Maria Hilf

At the northwestern corner of Siusi's village square stands the Maria Hilf Church, built in 1648 and consecrated in 1657. It served as the parish church for nearly three centuries before its successor was built across the square.

Why it matters

Siusi allo Sciliar, the German-speaking Seis am Schlern, grew around two churches on one square; the Maria Hilf is the older. Built in 1648 and dedicated to Mary, Help of Christians, it served the village as a parish church and pilgrimage site. Chronicles record penitential processions from Völs during severe droughts. The newer Holy Cross church later took over the parish role.

What to notice

The date 1648 is carved into the door lintel, a rare instance of a church dating itself. The exterior is deliberately plain early baroque, but the bell tower keeps older echoes: thin red roof tiles, round-arched twin windows and four waterspouts carved as animal heads. Inside, look for the ceiling frescoes painted by Johann Burgauner in 1849 — the Trinity above the organ gallery, the Assumption in the nave and adoring angels in the chancel. Fourteen Stations of the Cross line the walls, each framed with the Arma Christi, the instruments of the Passion. The pulpit shows the Archangel Michael weighing souls, with the Eye of God above. Tradition holds that the altar and one bell came from the chapel of the nearby Salegg castle ruin. A late-20th-century restoration added an organ by the Italian builder Barthélemy Formentelli.

Context and history

The church was built in 1648 at the northwestern end of the village square. On 6 September 1657, Brixen auxiliary bishop Jesse Perkhofer consecrated it to Mary, Help of Christians, and St Catherine of Alexandria. Drought processions from Völs became a local custom. The church served as the parish church of Seis until the Holy Cross church was built from 1937 and consecrated in 1950. Maria Hilf was restored between 1975 and 1995, when the Formentelli organ was installed.