Griesserkapelle

The Griesserkapelle stands in Wallhorn, a village in the municipality of Prägraten am Großvenediger in East Tyrol. It sits forty metres north of the Virgental road, reached by a lane that turns off the main road and passes between two farm buildings. The name comes from the Griesser farm a short distance to the northwest. Built in the 19th century and restored in 1977, the chapel is a small rectangular building with a rounded apse and a shingle roof. Its outer walls are rough yellow plaster with white smooth-plastered frames around the windows and door. Inside, the barrel-vaulted ceiling rests on a profiled cornice above grey marble floor tiles laid in a diamond pattern. The wooden altar, dating from the first half of the 19th century, has red-green marble facing and gilded ornaments. The altar painting shows the souls in purgatory beneath a Madonna and Child with angels. Above it hangs a relief medallion of Mariahilf and the inscription ‘HEILIGE MARIA BITT FÜR SIE’. A set of fourteen Stations of the Cross, printed in colour and installed in 1902, lines the walls. The chapel’s quiet interior and simple furnishings create a place for quiet reflection.