Mariä Heimsuchung

The parish church of Sölden stands in Rettenbach, a village in the Sölden municipality of the Ötztal valley in Tirol. It is dedicated to the Visitation of Mary and belongs to the Silz deanery in the Diocese of Innsbruck. The building is protected as a listed monument. The church’s origins go back to 1288, with major changes in 1521 by Jakob von Tarrenz and in 1752 by Gallus Gratl. The late-Gothic structure was extended in the Baroque style, and a 1975 addition created a new stairway to the gallery. Inside, the four-bay nave and two-bay choir are separated by a round-arched triumph arch. The ceiling vaults rest on double pilasters in the nave and single pilasters in the choir, while the 1779 frescoes by Josef Anton Puellacher depict scenes from the life of Jesus. The furnishings date from the mid-18th century, blending late-Baroque and Rococo styles. Joseph Götsch carved the high altar’s four columns, central panel and surrounding figures, while Anton Praxmarer painted the main and upper images. Side altars feature works by Johann Georg Dominikus Grasmair and Nikolaus Ignaz Auer. The organ dates from 1750, and the church’s five bells include a historic 1590 casting by the Löffler foundry. A walled cemetery surrounds the building, with iron crosses from the 18th and 19th centuries and a 1969 extension designed by Hans Loch.