It is situated on the road to Prabi and is a magnificent example of sacral art with enchanting frescoes both on the inside and outside. It is one of the most ancient monuments: the consecration of the high altar was first mentioned in 1186. The construction is very simple. It is built in a niche under an overhanging rock that serves as a wall and partly as the vault of the church, in a one and only room and one adjacent room for the hermits; the building has a small terrace on the north and a stone staircase, partly hollowed out in the rock, that goes from the hermits’ room to an underlying space. Only the hall of the church is frescoed. In 1950 the town of Arco, the present owner, intervenes with a radical restoration by the Provincia Autonoma di Trento (The Autonomous Province of Trento), that brought to light the beautiful frescos dedicated to the Last Supper and to the stories of San Paolo’s life. The vestiges of the Retreat are described in the works of Rainer Maria Rilke.
Information: The outside of the Retreat is always accessible; the inside is, as a rule, closed. The Retreat is opened for guided visits (only in the Spring and Autumn); it can be opened at request for schools and groups, but the visits are only allowed accompanied by the caretaker.