Attraction Marienkapelle (chapel)

Description

More than 350 years ago, a wooden chapel was built on the left side of the stream in honor of the “Visitation of the Virgin Mary” to protect against the dangers of the Kaltenbach. The chapel soon became a popular place of pilgrimage and grace, as the numerous votive images testify. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, the idea of pilgrimage waned and the chapel became increasingly dilapidated. After the horrors of the Second World War, Franz Geisler initiated the construction of a new chapel together with Pastor Michael Penz. Architect Lottersberger from Innsbruck planned it and this time the right-hand side of the stream was chosen as the site. The costs of the construction were largely covered by collections, donations and contributions from the population. The windows of the new chapel, made by Glasmalerei Tirol, show St. Notburga and St. Joseph. The picture of the Virgin Mary and the figures of saints were taken from the old chapel. The chapel developed more and more into a small church. In 1948, the little church was solemnly consecrated. In 1976, a war memorial was erected on the east side and a sgraffito was created in the cloister by sculptor Rieser from Hippach.                                          In 1996, the little church had to be completely renovated. As part of the interior restoration, Professor Wolfram Köberl designed a new ceiling fresco on the theme of the “Visitation of the Virgin Mary”. During the renovation work, it was discovered that the high altar dated back to around 1640. The altar was repeatedly painted over in later years. It was restored to its original state and the restoration work was completed in 1997. The shingle roof, which had weathered over the years and was in need of renovation, was completely refurbished in spring 2014. During the renovation, the exterior façade and the square in front of the chapel were also overhauled.