St Jakob auf Langfenn

St Jakob was first documented in 1300, but it is highly probable that this originally very simple structure was built on the site of a former mountain sanctuary.
St Jakob church as it appears today owes its features to a reconstruction in Gothic style which was undertaken in the early 16th century when the building was fitted with pointed-arch windows and doors. In the simple interior with polygonal chancel, a stonemason's mark with the date 1510 can be seen. During renovation work carried out in 1970 fragments of frescoes dating back to the 17th century were discovered.
St. Jakob auf Langfenn is comparable to other Romanesque mountain churches of the period, for instance St Vigilius church on the Vigiljoch. What unites these mountain churches, apart from their obvious ritual significance, is their exposed position on mountain ridges which accounts for their present-day attraction as hiking destinations. A special feature of St. Jakob auf Langfenn is its harmonious appearance surrounded by the pastures of Salten with ancient larches, one of the most beautiful hiking regions of South Tyrol.