St. Annakapelle, Altdorf

Name: St. Annakapelle
Address: 2 Kirchplatz, Altdorf, Switzerland

#5 among attractions in Altdorf

Church

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Map

Facts and practical information

The Chapel of St. Anna is a Roman Catholic chapel in Altdorf in the canton of Uri. Built in 1596, the building originally served as an ossuary, stylistically it can be attributed to the late Renaissance. The chapel stands in front of the southern facade of the parish church of St. Martin and is classified as a cultural asset of national importance. The Altdorf church district also includes the cemetery and the Chapel of the Mount of Olives behind the parish church.

The master builder of the church was most likely the Lucerne master stonemason Anton Isenmann. The chapel dedicated to St. Anne has two floors; both levels have their own entrance, but are not spatially connected. The architectural design stylistically belongs to the late Renaissance, but the tall and slender structure without buttresses indicates the early Baroque, which first came into full effect in the following decade when the parish church was rebuilt. A continuous roof ridge connects the structure with the recessed polygonal choir.

The upper floor has lancet windows on the long sides, the entrance portal is round-arched. Inside, the nave and the choir are separated by tongue walls, the resulting opening looks like a high-dimensioned open gate. On the west wall hangs a painting by the Flemish painter Denys Calvaert, who was working in Bologna at that time; the commission in Altdorf came about through the mediation of Jakob Arnold. The motif of the painting is the Lamentation of Christ. Particularly noteworthy is the closing balustrade against the descent into the lower chapel, designed by sculptor Johannes Dub in 1596. The balustrade, executed as a memento mori, is unique not only in Switzerland, but far beyond. In the large central field there is a memorial inscription for the builder: "CASPAR ROMANVS/BESLER. DERZIT/KILCHENVOGT VND/BAWMEISTER.DES/GOTSHVS.1596".

Due to its location on a hillside, the lower floor is only visible from the church square further down. The low hall is vaulted by an almost round-arched barrel. A forged iron grille separates the front part of the room; it is decorated with the alliance coat of arms of the two donors: Landammann Emanuel Stanislaus Püntener and his wife Maria Anna Katharina Lusser.

Coordinates: 46°52'59"N, 8°38'32"E

Address

2 KirchplatzAltdorf Switzerland

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Day trips

St. Annakapelle – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Tellskapelle, Tell Monument, Rudenz Castle, Rophaien.

3.7 miN
View point, Church
Tellskapelle
94 min walk • The Tellskapelle is located on the Tellsplatte or Tellenplatte on the shore of Lake Lucerne at the foot of the Axenberg cliffs, in the Sisikon municipality, canton of Uri, Switzerland. It is across the Bay of Uri from the Rütli, some 4.3 km away.
~620 ftSE
Memorial, Monuments and statues, Historical place
Tell Monument, Altdorf
3 min walk • The 'Tell Monument' is a memorial to William Tell in the market place of Altdorf, Canton of Uri, Switzerland. The bronze statue by sculptor Richard Kissling was inaugurated on August 28, 1895 at the foot of an old tower.
1.5 miNW
Forts and castles
Rudenz Castle
40 min walk • The Rudenz Castle is a fortified tower in Flüelen, a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.
3.1 miN
Nature, Natural attraction, Mountain
Rophaien
80 min walk • The Rophaien is a mountain of the Schwyzer Alps, overlooking Lake Lucerne in the canton of Uri. It lies west of the Rossstock, at the western end of the range north of the Schächental.
4 miSE
Nature, Natural attraction, Mountain
Bälmeten
103 min walk • The Bälmeten is a mountain of the Glarus Alps, overlooking Erstfeld in the canton of Uri. It lies west of the Hoch Fulen, in the group north-west of the Gross Windgällen.
1.6 miS
Forts and castles
Attinghausen Castle, Attinghausen
42 min walk • Attinghausen Castle is a ruined medieval castle in the municipality of Attinghausen in the canton of Uri in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
3.7 miN
Nature, Natural attraction, Lake
Alplersee
94 min walk • Alplersee is a lake on the slopes of the Rophaien mountain near Riemenstalden and Sisikon in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland. There is another lake in the canton of Uri with the same name near Unterschächen.
3.9 miNE
Nature, Natural attraction, Mountain
Rossstock
100 min walk • The Rossstock is a mountain of the Schwyzer Alps, located on the border between the Swiss cantons of Schwyz and Uri. It lies on the range between Muotathal and Unterschächen, east of Lake Lucerne.
1.8 miW
Forts and castles
Seedorf Castle, Seedorf
45 min walk • Seedorf Castle is a medieval castle ruin in the municipality of Seedorf in the canton of Uri in Switzerland. It is near the school complex of Seedorf and across the street from the newer castle of Apro.
3.2 miW
Nature, Natural attraction, Mountain
Gitschen
82 min walk • The Gitschen is a mountain of the Urner Alps, overlooking Lake Lucerne in the canton of Uri. It lies on the range north of the Surenen Pass, culminating at the Brunnistock.
4.2 miNE
Nature, Natural attraction, Mountain
Fulen
108 min walk • The Fulen is a mountain peak of the Schwyz Alps, located on the border between the Swiss cantons of Schwyz and Uri. It lies on the range between Muotathal and Unterschächen, east of Lake Lucerne.