Kaplaneikirche Niederthai

The Caplane Church in Niederthai stands in the village of Niederthai, part of Umhausen municipality in the Ötztal valley, Tirol. A small Roman Catholic church, it is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua and belongs to the Silz deanery in the Diocese of Innsbruck. Both the church and its adjoining cemetery are protected monuments. Built in 1682 and consecrated in 1698, the church was restored in 1965. Its Baroque nave has a three-sided choir enclosed by a cemetery on three sides. A square tower rises at the choir end, topped by an octagonal section and a bulbous dome. Round-arched windows and a circular window above the entrance light the interior, which has a four-bay nave and a raised choir separated by a transverse arch. Inside, the nave and choir are covered by ribbed barrel vaults on pilasters. The deep west gallery carries original stucco decoration. Stuck medallions painted by the local artist Franz Xaver Pizzinini date from 1944 and 1965. The high altar from the late 17th century shows Saint Anthony before the Madonna, flanked by statues of Saint Martin and Saint Nicholas. A side altar of the late 18th century displays a crucifix flanked by figures of Mary and John, while the matching pulpit also belongs to that period.