St. James in Kastelaz Church

Imaginative hybrid creatures, half human and half animal, adorn a small church above Termeno on the Wine Road

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video : Alpine Road of Romanesque Art
A small church above Termeno on the Wine Road is known among culture enthusiasts for its beautiful fresco cycles: St. James in Kastelaz.
Foto: AT, © Peer
On the outside, they are only partially visible, but inside you can see one of the oldest preserved Romanesque fresco cycles in the Alpine region.
Foto: AT, © Peer
St. James in Kastelaz was first mentioned in 1214 AD, and was painted with mythical creatures and hybrid beings a few years later.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The frescoes in the southern annex were added in the 15th century and depict religious themes: They were created by the painter Ambrosius Gander.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Christ in the Mandorla, along with a row of apostles and angels on the ceiling, forms the counterpart to the “bestiary”, the hybrid creatures.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The entire little church is covered in paintings: Under Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, the chapel was closed for two years in 1786 AD.
Foto: AT, © Peer
It is part of the “Alpine Road of Romanesque Art - Stairways to Heaven” and is dedicated to Saint James the Great, one of the most important saints.
Foto: AT, © Peer
From the village centre of Termeno on the Wine Road, you can reach St. James in Kastelaz via a 15-minute walk through the vineyards.
Foto: AT, © Peer
There is a view of the church, which sits on a panoramic hill, from Rechtenthal Castle, an event location and further education academy.
Foto: AD, © Peer
The walk through the vineyards is particularly beautiful in spring and here in autumn: The little church can be visited every day until the beginning of November and at weekends during the winter.
Foto: © Peer
The Kastelaz Path also runs here: It begins in Termeno, leads to Cortaccia, and is popular with families due to its play stations.
Foto: © Peer
video : Roter Rucksack: Kastelaz Trail

The most significant art monument of Termeno on the Wine Road sits just above the village. Many hikers pass the inconspicuous little church with its round-arched windows and pyramid roof, as the Kastelaz Path leads past here from Cortaccia to Termeno. Anyone who takes a look inside will see one of the oldest preserved Romanesque fresco cycles in the Alpine region.

Fish-people and bird-people, centaurs, creatures with a dog's head and other figures were immortalised in the sanctuary eight centuries ago. The St. James in Kastelaz Church (St. Jakob in Kastelaz) was painted around 1220 AD. These figures are interpreted as a sinful and confusing counter-image or demonic forces opposing the divine order, and are referred to as a "bestiary".

The above mentioned divine order is depicted above their heads, featuring Christ in a mandorla and a row of apostles. Added to this are the frescoes in the southern annex, which were created two centuries later by Ambrosius Gander. They tell the pilgrim legend and other religious themes with the impressive luminosity and intensity for which the St. James Church is known.

Castellaz can be reached from Termeno in a 15-minute walk through the vineyards and lies on the Kastelaz Path (2.5 hours) to Cortaccia. From the hill, the view opens up over the Bassa Atesina. The church is accessible every day during the warm months for a small fee, and only on Saturdays and Sundays during the short winter months. Furthermore, with its Romanesque imagery from the High Middle Ages, it is one of the sites along the "Alpine Road of Romanesque Art".