The Holy Cross Parish Church is the largest place of worship in Zirl, a community in the federal state of Tyrol

Tyrol (state)

Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...

, Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

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Built in the 19th century under the auspices of Cons. Peter Alois Bauer and Fruehmesser Alois Moriggl, the painter Franz Plattner decorated the entire interior with fresoes in vivid colours. This work occupied the master for a significant period of time, e.g. the frescoes in the vault were created between 1862 and 1874. Remarkable as well are the abstract floral pattern that cover all the interior walls outside the frescoes as well as the gilded pulpit.

Architectural Style

As the architect predominatly used the round arch, this building is clearly neo-romanesque. Using 19th century building materials and techniques it was possible to create much larger windows, compared to monuments from the original romanesque period. Hence, sunlight floods the interior and amplifies the frecoes' vivid colours.

Gothic elements can be found in the pointed arches of altar and pulpit, nevertheless they form a harmonious whole with the entire building.

The Frescoes

The vaulted ceiling is graced by images of the Nativity and the Resurrection of Christ.Immediately above the altar, the Holy Trinity is being depicted, surrounded by the Virgin Mary, the prophets of the Old Testament, the four evangelists and the community of the faithful.

In the Choir to the left and right of the Altar

Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...

, there is Christ, entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the Resurrection of Lazarus.

The artist managed to arrange a noteworthy interaction of natural light and his painting in the left side of the choir, depicting Jesus' entrance intoJerusalem on Palm Sunday. Around noon, rays of sunlight reach the Messiah and the disciples immediately surrounding him.In contrast, those waiting for him with their perfectly understandable, yet earthly wishes and needs, with sometimes desperate hope, are - for the time being - shrouded in the half-dark. Thus, power and certainty of the coming salvation are being contrasted with human weakness, doubt and despair.