Novacella Abbey Chronicles: Tyrol’s Largest Monastery Complex in 2024
As Tyrol’s largest monastery complex, it boasts nearly nine centuries of history. Alto Adige isn’t complete without seeing the Novacella Abbey, which houses priceless artifacts, historical buildings, and traditional goods crafted and sold by the local monks.
The abbey’s gorgeous vineyards are known for their high-quality Sylvaner and Gewurztraminer wines. Got where we’re going? The Augustinian abbey of Novacella is situated in Varna, a small municipality of 5,000 inhabitants in the autonomous province of Bolzano in Trentino Alto Adige. It is near the city of Bressanone and the entrance to the Scaleres Valley. The abbey is one of the most prestigious in northern Italy and the entire Alpine Arc, and it is definitely the largest convent complex in Tyrol.
The history
Established in 1142 and always operating independently, the Augustinian Canons have been involved in many different endeavors over the years. Many pilgrims would have fit comfortably in the convent in the past. After Napoleon forced the suppression of religious orders that he desired, the Bavarian government shut down the convent in 1807. To restore the abbey, Emperor Francis I issued an edict in 1816. From agriculture to viticulture, herbalists to oenology, and even youth education (it houses a college for middle schoolers) and cultural event planning, its evolution has resulted in a plethora of businesses today.
Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and even Baroque styles converge and blend in this complex, showcasing the harmonious coexistence of components from the most diverse historical periods. The Isarco Valley is graced with a remarkable work of art whose rich diversity serves as a source of eternal beauty. This work is a heterogeneous unicum, which has been around since the 12th century. To reach it, one must cross a covered bridge that combines elements of a small basilica, the convent, the cloister, a castle, a library housing historical manuscripts that have been studied by prominent scientists, artists, doctors, and theologians who attended the abbey school in the past, an art gallery, and a cellar that houses a restaurant.
Novacella Abbey: What to See and Do
In the hall of the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, which is flanked by a proud Romanesque bell tower, there is a plethora of priceless paintings and frescoes done by the painter Matthäus Günther. The hall is further embellished by the choir and presbytery, which showcase baroque and rococo cconciliations with a tenacious Gothic plan that was unaltered during the restorations in the eighteenth century.
At the heart of the abbey is a courtyard that houses a Renaissance masterpiece called the “Well of Wonders.”
The name of this well comes from the octagonal aedicule that sits atop it; it depicts the seven ancient wonders. But the abbey, with its victorious silhouette on the eighth wall, is the eighth wonder in and of itself.
With two stories of monastic space, the library has more than enough room to hold 65,000 volumes on 43 different subjects. One kind of manuscript is the illuminated manuscript, which includes the smallest handwritten book.
Antonio Giuseppe Sartori, who also designed the altars of Sant’Anna and Sant’Agostino in the ecclesiastical presbytery, is a genius, and the South Tyrolean rococo in the library is a display of his explosive aesthetics.
Most notably, the rotunda Chapel of San Michele—now called Castello dell’Angelo—stands out. It is a Romanesque structure, very comparable to Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre Rotunda.
Exploring Novacella Abbey’s Delicacies: Beyond the Excellence of Kerner
Pergolas overflowing with bunches of grapes, an overhanging sequoia, hedges, and a central fountain are all part of the abbey’s picturesque ornamental garden. The property is also home to fruit and vines that are used to make DOC wines like Sylvaner, Kerner, and Gewürztraminer, which are stored in the cellar and are occasionally accompanied by tastings during guided tours. Great herbal teas are made from the garden’s officinal and medicinal herbs; these and other products (which can also be bought online) are sold in the shop at the convent’s entrance.
Useful information, dates, times and ticket prices for the visit
- Name: Novacella Abbey
- Where: via Abbazia, 1 – Varna (Bolzano).
- Opening hours: all year round from Monday to Saturday from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
- Ticket: €9.00 adults, €4.00 children aged 6 to 17, €7.00 groups of minimum 10 people, €4.00 school visits of 60 minutes, €6.00 if 90 minutes.
- Visit to the cellar and tasting: from May to October, every Tuesday and Thursday, at 4pm, it is possible to take part in a guided tour, without reservation, of the abbey cellar with tasting of 4 types of wine (2 reds and 2 whites) . Upon request you can also take a visit to the vineyards. Prices: guided tasting of the 4 wines €9 per person; tour of the vineyard and cellar + tasting €13.50 per person.
- Contacts: contact tel. 0472/836189 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
- More information: the art gallery and the cloister are not accessible to those with motor disabilities while the church and library are free of architectural barriers. Photography is not permitted inside the abbey but outside and in the church-basilica. Consult the official website for information on conferences, events and the possibility of staying in the abbey.
Getting there
Leaving the A22 Brenner motorway at the Bressanone/Val Pusteria exit, head towards Varna, go through the town, and at the Hotel Lëwenhof, take a left towards Novacella, heading towards the abbey. You can park your own vehicle near this complex; public transportation lines 2 and 3 also stop there.
