Chiesa di Santa Croce

The Holy Cross Church in Siusi was planned in 1937 and consecrated in 1950 after construction was interrupted by war. Its mid-twentieth-century architecture and furnishings include stained glass by Edith Rier and a copper baptismal font by Martin Rainer.

Why it matters

The church was built to serve a growing village after the older Maria Hilf church could no longer accommodate its congregation. Residents contributed labour to complete the building after the wartime interruption. Seis became an independent parish in 1974.

What to notice

The church has a hall-like interior, a steep saddle roof and a tower about 42 metres high. The 1995 windows by Edith Rier depict scenes and symbols from Christian teaching. The copper baptismal font, made by Martin Rainer in 1989, is crowned with a Lamb of God and decorated with four fish. A crucifixion group by Rudolf Geisler-Moroder and a seventeenth-century Pietà are also part of the interior.

Context and history

Architects Amonn and Fingerle prepared the plans, and construction began in 1937 before being halted by the war. The church was consecrated in 1950, with residents contributing labour to complete it. Later changes include bells cast by the Grassmayr foundry in 1962, a choir redesign by Albert Torggler in 2003 and an organ by Johann Pirchner installed in 1993. The parish history records an earlier church in Seis that was buried by a landslide around 1270.