A village in a monastery - or vice versa?

Behind Katharinaberg in Schnals Valley ascends the Carthusian Monastery Allerengelberg, an imposing building with an eventful history of, at times, religious solitariness and periods of secularism.

History of the building

The monastery has been built by the Carthusians in 1326, and within a very short time became famous because of its enormous size. The monks lived, according to their rule, in long periods of seclusion but when they began to become more and more involved in the affairs of the world, in the 17th century, the monastery was disbanded. In 1782 the various buildings were sold to farmers and merchants from the valley. Over the following years a unique village was created on the monastery's grounds, most of whose remains are still visible today.

Places of interest

Despite of a devastating fire in 1924, the house of the prior as well as remains of the monastery walls and monastery gate have been maintained. Traces of monastery life are still to be found, even on a leisurely walk through the village of Karthaus. A visit to the grotto and the parish church of St.Anna are highly recommended.

Further information and contact

Visiting the village of the monastery is allowed throughout the year; during the summer months guided tours are held once a week. For information and applications please contact the local tourist office, which you can reach at  + 39 0473 67 91 48.