Description of the attraction
The former monastery of St. Magdalene is located on a stone terrace at an altitude of 1287 meters in the Haltal valley. You can climb to it from the village of Absam. Currently, the holy monastery has been turned into a tourist center with a guest house.
The monastic complex consists of a church, a former pastoral house and a building for monks. These buildings are located in a clearing surrounded by forest.
Probably, the monastery of St. Magdalene was built on a mountain slope above the Haltal valley at the time when salt was mined here in special mines. In 1436, one of the most respected officials in Tyrol, the manager of the local mines, Hans Frankferter, appeared in the Haltal valley. In 1441, he retired and decided to stay in the Haltal Valley and lead a secluded life. Soon he was joined by a certain Henry, with whom they built a skete and the first chapel consecrated in honor of several saints at once - St. Rupert, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Barbara and the Apostle Matthew. Duke Sigmund of Austria reacted very favorably to the new monastery that appeared and in 1447 ordered that Mass be celebrated here every week.
After the death of two hermits, nuns from the Augustinian order settled in the deserted monastery. Despite the location of the monastery on the shady, and therefore barren side of the valley, the nuns were able to arrange their life well. In 1494, 24 sisters lived in the abbey. At the end of the 15th century, the Church of St. Magdalene was built here, which was rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 16th century.
The monastery in the Haltal valley in the middle of the 17th century became a refuge for people from nearby towns, who were fleeing here from the plague epidemic. A serious earthquake in 1689 damaged the monastery walls. At the end of the 19th century, an avalanche descended from the mountains and covered the monastery. The roofs of the church and the priest's house were destroyed. In 1955-1957, the former monastery and the Church of St. Magdalene were renovated.
