Parish church Vandans

Anyone expecting Baroque in the Montafon is in for a surprise in Vandans: the parish church of St John the Baptist is a work of post-war modernism. Because the village had grown after 1945 and the old church had become too small, architects Hans and Ingo Feßler designed in 1959/60 an octagonal space of roughly 30 by 28 m under a tall, tent-like roof – the parish motto was “Behold the tent of God among men”. Narrow, louvre-like concrete-glass windows bathe the room in coloured light; the altar stands slightly raised and can be walked around, with the floor in front of it lowered. A slender bell tower like a campanile stands a little apart from the church and carries four bells from the Grassmayr foundry in Innsbruck, three of them from the old church. The crucifix relief on the altar is by sculptor Josef Baumgartner, and the organ was built by Walcker in 1961 with 19 stops. The church is a listed monument.

From our house it is 14.2 km or 18 minutes; by bus 650 to Schruns and on by Montafonerbahn to Vandans. Right next door stands the old church of St John with its onion tower – the contrast between the two buildings is the real appeal of the visit.

Last updated: 13 Sep 2026