Church of Saint Laurentius - Laag / Laghetti

Laag is a hamlet of the municipality of Neumarkt. The origin of its name is quite evident and means “marsh” or small “ponds.” The village was first mentioned in 1288 in the urbarium of Mainhard II, but the first real settlements date back to around 1550.

In the southern part of the village stands the Church of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr. Unfortunately, the exact date of the church’s foundation is unknown. However, we do know that in 1532 Girolamo Vascherio da Carpi, auxiliary bishop of Bernardo Clesio, Prince-Bishop of Trento, consecrated the altar and dedicated it to the holy deacon, who thus became the main patron saint of the village. In 1721, the church became a curacy with its own curate, whereas previously it had been a filial church of Salurn. In 1896, it was made a curacy of Salurn.

Due to the growing population, a new church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception was built and consecrated on June 17, 1946, by the Archbishop of Trento, Carlo de Ferrari. At that time, Laag belonged to the Archdiocese of Trento, until in 1964 the dioceses were reorganized and Laag became part of the newly established Diocese of Bolzano-Brixen.

In 1949, Laag became an independent parish. Its first parish priest was Father Angelo Tecini from Sarnonico in the Non Valley, who died on October 3, 1998. He was succeeded by Don Giovanni Bernardi from St. Ulrich, who died on March 18, 2011. Don Pierluigi Tosi has been the parish priest since September 20, 1996.

The patronal feast of the village and the parish is celebrated every year on August 10, the liturgical feast day of Saint Lawrence. On December 8, the patroness of the parish church, the Immaculate Conception, is celebrated.