Saint Roch Church

The Catholic parish church of St Roch stands in Schnann, a village in the Tyrolean Alps near the Arlberg pass. Built in 1633 as a plague church, it was enlarged in the early 18th century and again in 1927 under architect Karl Paulmichl. The church has been protected as a listed monument since then.

The building is a fine example of Austrian Baroque, with a rounded apse and a north tower topped by a steep spire. Inside, the four-bay nave is divided by pilasters and covered with ribbed vaults. The ceiling paintings, attributed to Johann Georg Witwer, date from the late 1700s and show scenes of St Roch’s life and the four Church Fathers. The high altar, carved in the third quarter of the 18th century, features figures of St Roch, Peter, Paul and others.

Visitors enter through a west porch added in 1927 and step into a quiet, white-stucco interior. The square choir has a flat-plate vault and illusionistic dome depicting the Communion of the Apostles. Side altars hold a late-18th-century Madonna and statues of guardian angels, while a carved pulpit and early-18th-century crucifix complete the furnishings. The church’s calm atmosphere and carefully preserved artworks make it a peaceful place to pause.