Saint Joseph Church (Itter, Tyrol)

The parish church of Itter stands in the village of Itter in the Kitzbühel district of Tirol. It is a single-nave building dedicated to Saint Joseph and belongs to the deanery of Brixen im Thale in the Archdiocese of Salzburg. The church has been under Denkmalschutz since its construction. The church was built between 1762 and 1764 under the direction of Wolfgang Hagenauer and Andreas Hueber. Bishop Sigismund von Schrattenbach financed half of the construction, while the local population contributed the rest. It became an independent parish in 1891 after being a vicariate of Kirchbichl since 1761. The building remains largely unchanged since its completion, with only two major renovations in 1885 and from 1985 to 1987. Inside, the church features classic Rococo decoration with a long nave and a semi-dome apse. The walls and ceiling are adorned with frescoes by Johann Weiß, including scenes of the Holy Family and the Schrattenbach coat of arms. The main altar, painted by Peter Anton Lorenzi in 1770, depicts Saint Joseph’s dream of fleeing to Egypt. Side altars show the Evangelist John on Patmos and the Baptism of Jesus, while the organ above the entrance dates from 1898. The west tower houses a four-bell peal cast by Grassmayr of Innsbruck.