Petronillakapelle

The Petronillakapelle is a small Roman Catholic chapel in the village of Großdorf, part of Kals am Großglockner in the Austrian Alps. It stands at the end of Kalser Straße in the centre of Großdorf, surrounded by a small green space. The chapel is dedicated to Saint Petronilla, a martyr from early Christian times. It is one of fourteen protected monuments in the municipality of Kals am Großglockner. The chapel’s history goes back to a 17th-century baroque building that once stood near the Peternalmessner house. First mentioned in 1676, it gained a licence for Mass in 1735 and a set of Stations of the Cross in 1795. In 1898 the old chapel was torn down to make way for the present structure, completed in the village centre. A major restoration in 1962 gave the interior a fresh design while keeping its baroque character. The exterior shows a white-plastered façade with yellow trim and a steep roof of dark tiles. A small square tower on the north side carries a weather vane, cross and ball finial. Inside, the nave has a barrel vault painted in 1962 by Wolfram Köberl with scenes from the life of Saint Petronilla. The altar, designed by Pater Johannes M. Reiter around 1900, features a Cranach-style image of the Virgin of Mercy framed by statues of Saints Peter and Paul. A wooden people’s altar stands before it, and a painted crucifixion by Albin Egger-Lienz from 1898 hangs on one wall. The chapel’s simple fittings include a 1962 Stations of the Cross by Köberl and modern pews set against the original choir stalls.