Maria Himmelfahrt (Bolzano)

[1] According to legend, a Bozner coachman found a miraculous shrine of Mary, Mother of God at the later location of the church.

This figure, known as Liebe Frau vom Moos (German Our Lady of the Bog), is said to have been in the marshland of the Eisack, whose riverbed was then much closer to the cathedral than it is today.

[2] The first priest of Bozen, Rudolf is mention in 1195 on the occasion of a land exchange between the Upper Bavarian imperial abbey at Tegernsee and the Prince-Bishopric of Trent.

[4] Around 1300, a reconstruction of the church was begun in late Gothic style to meet the increased demands of the city of Bozen, which had grown intensely both in terms of population and territory.

The new church was completed in 1519 with the construction of the tower in late Gothic style, designed by the Augsburg master mason Burkhard Engelberg and finished by Hans Lutz of Schussenried.

On the south side of the parish church, there is an exact copy of the early New High German building inscription in local sandstone.

The inscription in late Gothic minuscule reads: Anno d[omi]ni 1501 anfang / des paws am 18 tag winte[r] / monet durch maiste[r] hanns / lutz stainmetz vo[n] schusenriet / volent des 16 tag herbst / monet anno d[omi]ni 1519.

The old Bozner cemetery originally extended around the parish church at its northern, eastern and southern part.

The grounds were overbuilt in 1991–93 with the new Pastoral Center and Curia of Bozen-Brixen accord to plans of Architect Othmar Barth.

The Gothic nave was built in 1716 by the Veronese architect Raghieri and contrasts with the monumental Baroque high altar with its numerous columns and figures of saints.

[14]The Cathedral of Bozen houses the Sacred Heart figure by Johann Josef Karl Henrici that has been revered since 1795 and in 1796 it motivated the defense of Tyrol against the Napoleonic forces.

In addition, congregation altar was constructed of several pink marble blocks by the sculptor Michael Höllrigl of Lana in 1977.

The still heavily criticized renovation work was completed in 1992 with the construction of priest's seats Ambon and Cathedra, matching the altar.

[21] Numerous early prints of the collection go back to the Bavarian humanist Erasmus Fend (also called Fendt or Vendius).