St. Martin

The Expositurkirche St Martin stands in the hamlet of Baad, part of Mittelberg in the Kleinwalsertal valley in Vorarlberg. The present church occupies a low hill north of the village centre, replacing an earlier chapel moved here in 1636. A succession of enlargements culminated in the 1851 rebuilding after the old chapel was taken down for avalanche safety. The building is a simple rectangular nave with a narrower chancel under one roof, its white plaster walls contrasting with the dark shingle roof. A small onion-domed bell turret rises above the chancel gable. Inside, the furnishings date from the mid-19th century, including altars and pews by Gottlieb Riezler of Hirschegg. The main altarpiece by Franz Xaver Bobleter shows St Martin dividing his cloak, flanked by late-17th-century statues of St Theodul and St Barbara. The side altars carry works by Melchior Paul von Deschwanden, Maria on the left and St Wendelin on the right, both installed in 1856. Above the chancel arch hangs a carved crucifix with three cherubs from the early 18th century. An 1802 organ, moved here in 1886, completes the interior. Outside, the churchyard commands wide views over the green valley and surrounding peaks.