Hirschegger Mariahilfkapelle

The Hirschegger Mariahilfkapelle is a small Roman Catholic chapel in the village of Hirschegg, part of Mittelberg municipality in Vorarlberg. It stands along the path between the parish church of St Anna and Leidtobel Bridge. The building is dedicated to Mary, Help of Christians, and has been protected as a historic monument. The chapel’s origins go back to 1730, but the present structure dates mainly from 1891–92. In 1919 an octagonal central space was added and the chapel was reconsecrated. The altar tabernacle was made in 1913 by the Bachmann brothers. Inside, a late-Gothic figure of Mary with the Child from about 1510 is set in a round-arched niche, flanked by statues of St Joseph and St John of Nepomuk from the late 18th century. Visitors enter through a porch on the west side beneath a bell turret. The nave has a barrel vault and a tiled roof, while the 1919 central space is capped by a tent-like roof. A stained-glass roundel shows St Hubertus on one side and a guardian angel on the other. A wooden figure of the Suffering Christ by E. Riezler or Rietzler from 1920 and a modern statue of Brother Klaus complete the furnishings.