Hl. Vigil, Obsaurs, Catholic filial church in Schönwies, Austria

Hl. Vigil is a small late-Gothic filial church on a slope above the valley floor in the hamlet of Obsaurs, part of Schönwies. The single-nave building has a polygonal choir, a sloping plinth running around the walls, and a west portal with a pointed arch and crossed pear-shaped moulding. A porch was added to the west front in 1835, and a walled cemetery surrounds the church.

A church at Obsaurs is documented in 1498 and was built around 1500 as a late Gothic structure; the front porch was added in 1835. It is a protected monument and a filial church of the Zams deanery in the Diocese of Innsbruck. The wall paintings date from the first half of the 16th century and around 1634.

The church is dedicated to Saint Vigilius of Trent, a patron also honoured in the altarpiece, which is attributed to the painter Georg Witwer. The carved antependium frames a painting of the saint, and a statue of the Immaculate Virgin from the 18th century stands in a shrine. The bell in the tower stump above the church bears the name Barthlme Köttelath and the year 1647.

The interior decorations are best appreciated during daylight hours when natural light illuminates the frescoes and carved details. The small church is typically accessible for worship services and visitor hours may vary seasonally due to Alpine weather conditions.

The bell tower stands apart from the church, on a hill slightly above it: a massive late medieval tower stump with a slit window, topped by a wooden structure added to hold the bells. Its chamfered round-arched portal dates from the 16th century, and one bell bears the name Barthlme Köttelath and the year 1647.