Natz-Schabs (; it, Naz-Sciaves ) is a ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' (municipality) in
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous area, Autonomous Provinces of Italy, province
, image_skyline = ...
in northern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, located about northeast of the city of
Bolzano
Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...
.
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
, whose maternal grandmother and great grandmother were born there, became an honorary citizen of the city in October 2011.
Geography
As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 2,887 and an area of .
[All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute ]Istat
The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...
.
Natz-Schabs borders the following municipalities:
Brixen
Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano.
Geography
First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic an ...
,
Franzensfeste,
Lüsen
Lüsen (; it, Luson ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol, located about northeast of the city of Bolzano.
Geography
As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 1,543 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Italian ...
,
Mühlbach,
Rodeneck
Rodeneck (; it, Rodengo ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy.
Geography
Rodeneck borders the following municipalities: Kiens, Lüsen, Mühlbach, Natz-Schabs, St. Lorenzen and Vintl. In Rodeneck there are 7 munici ...
, and
Vahrn
Vahrn (; it, Varna ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of the city of Bolzano.
Geography
Vahrn borders the following municipalities: Brixen, Klausen, Franzensfeste, Natz-Schabs, Sarntal ...
.
Frazioni
The municipality of Natz-Schabs contains the ''
frazioni'' (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Aicha (Aica), Natz (Naz), Raas (Rasa), Schabs (Sciaves) and Viums (Fiumes).
History
Coat-of-arms
The emblem is
party per fess of
gules and
argent
In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to ...
. The upper part show the head of a
heron, from which comes out gules flames in the bottom. It is the sign of the Lords of ''Sebs und Lyne'' who lived in the village since 1147 and afterwards changed the name to ''Schabs''. The emblem appeared for the first time in 1365 and was granted in 1966.
Main sights
Religious architecture
Schabs Parish church "Saint Margaret"
The
Late Gothic parish church was consecrated in 1281 but the construction was completed only in 1454 and in the late 18th century the interior was restored in baroque. The side chapel was built in 1681 and contains interesting paintings by Kessler. In 2002 the church was enlarged extending the nave with a prominent portal. The slim bell tower is high.
Natz Parish church Saints Philip and James
The first mention of the parish church in Natz dates back to 1157 but the church was consecrated in 1208 by the prince-bishop Konrad von Rodank in honour of
Saint Philip Saint Philip, São Filipe, or San Felipe may refer to:
People
* Saint Philip the Apostle
* Saint Philip the Evangelist also known as Philip the Deacon
* Saint Philip Neri
* Saint Philip Benizi de Damiani also known as Saint Philip Benitius or Fili ...
and
Saint Walpurga
Walpurga or Walburga ( ang, Wealdburg, la, Valpurga, Walpurga, Walpurgis, sv, Valborg; c. AD 71025 February 777 or 779), also spelled Valderburg or Guibor, was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 ...
. The present church was completed in 1484 in
Late Gothic and consecrated once again to the Saints Apostles
Philip and
James. The bell tower was built in 1400 with granite blocks; in 1635 was damaged by fire and in 1686 was covered with a dome in Baroque style. The high altar is work by Peter Lapper of Natz made in 1855. In the throne of the high altar are the statue of the
Madonna,
Saint Agnes and
Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula (Latin for 'little female bear', german: link=no, Heilige Ursula) is a legendary Romano-British Christian saint who died on 21 October 383. Her feast day in the pre-1970 General Roman Calendar is 21 October. There is little in ...
which are Gothc works of 1499 attributed to Michael Parcher; the statues of St. Philip and St. James are by F. X. Renn of Imst made in 1857. The painting of the right lateral altar represent the
Baptism of Jesus
The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is a major event in the life of Jesus which is described in the three synoptic Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark and Luke). It is considered to have taken place at Al-Maghtas (also called Bet ...
and the left side altar correspond to the
Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the fir ...
, both works are by Michael Lackner of Bruneck. The first organ was installed on May 1, 1909; the present one has been built by
Orgelbau Pirchner of Steinach am Brenner and has 16 registers and 1250 pipes and was inaugurated on May 1, 1990.
Aicha church St. Nikolaus
According to the tradition, a chapel was built in 1400. The present church, surrounded by the churchyard, was built in the late 16th century next to a large linden. Above the main entrance, repaired by a porch, is a fresco attributed to Friedrich Pacher. The painting at the high altar shows
Saint Nicholas, Saint Catherine and
Saint Oswald ascribed to Johann Mitterwurzer.
Society
Linguistic distribution
According to the 2011 census, 93.54% of the population speak German, 5.49% Italian and 0.97%
Ladin as first language.
Demographic evolution
Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8)
id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1)
id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8)
ImageSize = width:455 height:303
PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:3000
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:1000 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:200 start:0
BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo
BarData=
bar:1861 text:1861
bar:1871 text:1871
bar:1881 text:1881
bar:1901 text:1901
bar:1911 text:1911
bar:1921 text:1921
bar:1931 text:1931
bar:1936 text:1936
bar:1951 text:1951
bar:1961 text:1961
bar:1971 text:1971
bar:1981 text:1981
bar:1991 text:1991
bar:2001 text:2001
PlotData=
color:barra width:20 align:left
bar:1861 from: 0 till:0
bar:1871 from: 0 till:0
bar:1881 from: 0 till:0
bar:1901 from: 0 till:0
bar:1911 from: 0 till:0
bar:1921 from: 0 till:1072
bar:1931 from: 0 till:1131
bar:1936 from: 0 till:1141
bar:1951 from: 0 till:1156
bar:1961 from: 0 till:1207
bar:1971 from: 0 till:1297
bar:1981 from: 0 till:1610
bar:1991 from: 0 till:2051
bar:2001 from: 0 till:2430
PlotData=
bar:1861 at:0 fontsize:XS text: ? shift:(-8,5)
bar:1871 at:0 fontsize:XS text: ? shift:(-8,5)
bar:1881 at:0 fontsize:XS text: ? shift:(-8,5)
bar:1901 at:0 fontsize:XS text: ? shift:(-8,5)
bar:1911 at:0 fontsize:XS text: ? shift:(-8,5)
bar:1921 at:1072 fontsize:XS text: 1072 shift:(-8,5)
bar:1931 at:1131 fontsize:XS text: 1131 shift:(-8,5)
bar:1936 at:1141 fontsize:XS text: 1141 shift:(-8,5)
bar:1951 at:1156 fontsize:XS text: 1156 shift:(-8,5)
bar:1961 at:1207 fontsize:XS text: 1207 shift:(-8,5)
bar:1971 at:1297 fontsize:XS text: 1297 shift:(-8,5)
bar:1981 at:1610 fontsize:XS text: 1610 shift:(-8,5)
bar:1991 at:2051 fontsize:XS text: 2051 shift:(-8,5)
bar:2001 at:2430 fontsize:XS text: 2430 shift:(-8,5)
TextData=
fontsize:S pos:(20,20)
text:Data from ISTAT
Notes and references
External links
Homepage of the municipality
{{Authority control
Municipalities of South Tyrol