Chapel Sogn Bistgaun, Lumbrein/Silgin

The chapel is open daily.

The small, detached chapel in the hamlet of Silgin immediately catches the eye: A colorful façade painting, which extends under the protruding protective roof, entices you to take a closer look. In the 18th century, an unknown artist conjured up a veritable “heaven of saints” on the west wall: in the gable (picture 2) a Mother of God with child, below which you can see the saints Laurentius, Placidus and Nikolaus on a cloud bank. St. Florinus and Aloisius* follow on the right-hand side. St. Sebastian at the tree of martyrdom, St. Maurice on horseback and St. Martin sharing his cloak are also clearly visible.

Inside, the flat ceiling in the almost square nave was given a large medallion (3) with the Trinity and the plague saints in the late 18th century. In the four corners, the Roman bridge saints John Nepomuk, Carlo Borromeo, Anna Selbdritt and Mary Magdalene can be seen amidst putti and clouds. The choir arch (4), between St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena, is adorned with medallions depicting the mysteries of the rosary. The eye-catcher in the choir is a rococo altar (5), above which the four apostles and their attributes are depicted in the cross vault.

 *Aloisius of Gonzaga (1568-1591), born near Mantua, was already very religious as a child, joined the newly founded Jesuit order and died at the age of 23 as a result of his work as a nurse for plague patients in Rome. He was canonized in 1726.

Text and photos: Walter Müller (wmueller@hispieed.ch) in collaboration with Surselva Tourism