Saint Anna chapel in Kössen

The Annakapelle stands beside the road called Außerkapellen outside Kössen in Tirol. This small Roman Catholic chapel is dedicated to Saint Anne and has been protected by the Austrian heritage law since the 1920s. It was built in 1725 by the Jäger family and has been owned by several families and organisations since then. Martin Unterrainer has been the owner since 2014. A painted panel inside recalls Cardinal Ratzinger’s visit in 1996, before he became Pope Benedict XVI. The chapel is a two-bay Baroque structure with a small bell tower, a flat barrel vault and a rounded apse. The roof and tower are covered with wooden shingles, and the tower’s ball finial carries a cross and weathercock. Above the west door sits a barred niche holding a carved figure of Christ at Rest from the early 18th century. Inside, the ceiling fresco by R. Wörle shows Saint Anne with the Sorrowful Mother surrounded by two angels. A memorial stone in the apse wall honours Theodor Bradaczek, a former owner. Visitors step into a single room where the classical-style altar has two columns and a painting of Saint Anne with the child Mary. Beside it hangs a folk-style crucifix, and the walls carry several votive pictures dedicated to Saint Anne. The quiet interior, the shingle-clad exterior and the surrounding countryside make it a peaceful place to pause.