Parrocchia di San Lorenzo in Pinzolo

The Dance of Death and the Masterpiece of the Baschenis

The Parish of San Lorenzo in Pinzolo is one of the most celebrated sacred monuments in all Trentino. The church is universally known for the grand Dance of Death (Danza Macabra) fresco painted on its exterior facade by Simone Baschenis in 1539, a masterpiece of Alpine Renaissance art depicting dancing skeletons leading people of every social rank to death, from the pope to the beggar.

Dedicated to Saint Lawrence, the parish church of Pinzolo also preserves precious interior frescoes and represents the artistic pinnacle of the Baschenis tradition, the family of itinerant Bergamo painters active in the Trentino valleys between 1470 and 1540. The Dance of Death of Pinzolo is a universal reminder of the transience of life and the equality of all before death.