Natz-Schabs (; ) is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

in northern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, located about northeast of the city of

Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

, 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. Natz-Schabs borders the following municipalities:

Brixen Brixen (; , ; or , ) is a town and communes of Italy, commune in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography Brixen is the third-largest city and oldest town in the province, with a population of nearly twenty-three t ...

, Franzensfeste,

Lüsen Lüsen (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and a village in South Tyrol, located about northeast 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 statisti ...

, Mühlbach,

Rodeneck Rodeneck (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and a village 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 muni ...

, and Vahrn.

Frazioni

The municipality of Natz-Schabs contains the ''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' (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 In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

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 b ...

. The upper part show the head of a

heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

, 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.Heraldry of the World: Natz-Schabs
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Main sights

Religious architecture

Schabs Parish church "Saint Margareth"

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 and

Saint Walpurga Walpurga or Walburga (; ; ; 71025 February 777 or 779) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 by Pope Adrian II. Walpurgis Night, Saint Walpurgis Night (or "Sankt Walpurgisnacht") is the name fo ...

. The present church was completed in 1484 in Late Gothic and consecrated once again to the Saints Apostles

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

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 Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

, Saint Agnes and

Saint Ursula Ursula (Latin for 'little she-bear') was a Romano-British virgin and martyr possibly of royal origin. She is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. Her feast day in the pre-1970 G ...

which are Gothic 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, the ritual purification of Jesus with water by John the Baptist, was a major event described in the three synoptic Gospels of the New Testament ( Matthew, Mark and Luke). It is considered to have taken place at Al-Maghta ...

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,Ainsworth, 122 but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de La ...

, 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 Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

, Saint Catherine and Saint Oswald ascribed to Johann Mitterwurzer.

Society

Linguistic distribution

According to the 2024 census, 94.61% of the population speak German, 4.42% Italian and 0.96% Ladin as first language.

Demographic evolution

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Notes and references

External links

Homepage of the municipality
{{Authority control Municipalities of South Tyrol