st hippolyt kirche naraun tisens
st hippolyt kirche naraun tisens

St. Hippolytus

The high church of St. Hippolytus in Narano near Tesimo offers a magnificent view on the Adige Valley and the Merano region

Above Lana rises a hill that is more than just a hiking destination with a beautiful view: St. Hippolytus is one of the oldest settlements in the area around Merano, and is an excavation site of prehistoric finds. They prove that people already settled here 6,000 years ago. There was an old settlement and burnt-offering site on the hill, and Neolithic arrowheads and mortars were found.

St. Hippolytus itself was first mentioned in a document in 1288, but parts of the walls indicate a much older, Romanesque little church. It was rebuilt in the Gothic period, recognisable by the pointed-arched entrance door with rosette. Towards the end of the 17th century, the tower was added. Since St. Hippolytus of Rome is venerated as the patron saint of the weather, the sacristans used to come up here to ring the bell during storms. No fewer than six sacristans were killed by lightning strikes, so that the church was called "Zum bösen Segen" (To the evil blessing).

And how to reach St. Hippolytus? Shortly after the tunnel on the state road from Lana to the Palade Pass there is a small car park in Narano, the bus stops 150 metres further on. From there, the wide forest path no. 5 (since 2010 also The Path of Reflection to the Illuminated Rosary in Memory of Pope John Paul II) leads up the hill in about 45 minutes. Another hike to the hill of St. Hippolytus is longer, starts already in Lana di Sotto and follows the Acquaviva Path. The last section is bumpy and steep. From the rock, the view opens onto 20 villages and 40 castles. This earned St. Hippolytus the name "King's Lodge of the Burgraviato". Interesting: On the other side of the valley - visible only with binoculars - also rises a little church, St. Hippolytus of Glaiten.

Contact info

Opening times

church open only for the patronal feast (August 13)

hill freely accessible

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