Thursday, May 28, 2009

Chapter 11 - The Little Chapel

Wandering around Siegendorf, you can't help but notice what I call The Little Chapel. It's smack dab in the middle of town, in the center of a busy, three-way intersection. No one seems to know why it was built, but I did learn that people who could afford it would build a chapel to give thanks for something they felt God had given them or perhaps to gain God's grace for something they wanted. I love churches and was struck by the simplicity of this one and its location. Even with modern day traffic whizzing (and I do mean speeding) by, it still stands as a symbol of an earlier age. I love that in Austria the old is lovingly retained, not stripped away and replaced by something newer and ostensibly better. Peeking inside, I've seen occasional changes, i.e. chairs, etc., so clearly the chapel is still in use. The small grounds around it are nicely landscaped, and the exterior and interior of the chapel are obviously meticulously maintained.







Roughly translated: "Tise Kebeln built this entire
common [meaning not a grand chapel] in 1745."


Inside, the chapel is plain, about six by eight feet
in area, with an old wooden floor, raised kneeling
platform before the altar, with simple altar and
religious art decorating the altar and side walls.

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