Church Sogn Vintschegn in Pleif, Vella

The key is available during the week (Monday - Friday) during office hours from Surselva Tourismus AG, Info Lumnezia, tel. 0041 81 931 18 58. On Saturday and Sunday the church is open from 08.00 - 18.00. We kindly ask visitors to observe the service times, thank you. (Church services: https://pleiv-lumnezia.ch/gottesdienste/)

For centuries, the church of St. Vincent was the main church in the valley, where the dead from Vals to Vrin were laid to rest in the cemetery. It served as a family burial place for the local de Mont family. Their large gravestones can be found on the northern outer wall of the church.

Inside, the monumental painting (four by nine meters!) of the Battle of Lepanto catches the eye. It commemorates the help of the Virgin Mary in the victory of the Christian army over the Turks in 1571. The three leaders of the Holy League can be seen in the bottom left-hand corner: Pope Pius V in the center, flanked by the Spanish King Philip II and Sebastiano Venier, the Doge of Venice.

The inaccessible chancel area with its two side altars presents a magnificent sight. In 1726, Johannes Ritz from Selkingen in Goms created the two-tiered high altar, which features a green cartouche inscribed with S. Vincenti ora pro nobis – 1726, referring to the church's patron saint, whose statue stands above it.

A Renaissance altar by Hans Jakob Greutter on the north wall depicts the Queen of the Rosary, surrounded by 15 medallions illustrating the mysteries of the Rosary. On the left wing of the altar, the death and Assumption of Mary are depicted, while the right wing shows a Nativity scene.

Literature: A church guide (Pedo Verlag) is available in the church.

Text and images: Walter Müller (wmueller@hispeed.com) in collaboration with Surselva Tourismus AG.