Parish Church of Favogna

The little St. Leonard Church, located near the popular Favogna Lake, is the centre of an interesting legend

Map See map
See video
Video : Favogna as seen from above
On Mt. Favogna, more precisely in Favogna di Sotto, there’s the St. Leonard Church.
Foto: AT, © Peer
A pleasant hiking path connects Lake Favogna (Fennberger See, in German) with the little church.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The inside of the Parish Church of Favogna with its frescoes: The apse dates back to the 13th century.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The church is dedicated to St. Leonard of Noblac, depicted as an abbot holding chains.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Presumably, the “Zur Kirche” (To the church) tavern was the adjacent hospice.
Foto: AT, © Peer

A popular destination can be found above Magrè (Margreid): the Favogna high plateau with the eponymous lake. A short walk from the lake there's a beautiful little church in the middle of nature. It's the St. Leonard Church, today the parish church of Favogna, which was mentioned for the first time in 1337 in the testament left by Heinrich von Rottenburg. Once it was connected directly to a hospice, but it's not sure whether this was the present "Zur Kirche" (To the church) tavern.

The bell tower with the round-arched windows and the main nave with the round apse date back to the 13th century. The nave, with a flat barrel, on the other hand, dates back to the 17th century, when the once flat ceiling was rebuilt. The building is surrounded by an iron chain: It is said, that every 7 years the chain is extended by one link. Once the church is completely surrounded by the chain, the world will end...