Is it possible that the oldest sacred building in Liechtenstein stands right before you? This is the Kapelle St. Peter in Schaan. It is a testament to centuries of faith and history.
The Kapelle St. Peter is considered the oldest sacred building in the Principality of Liechtenstein. It belongs to the Parish of St. Laurentius. This parish includes Schaan and Planken in the Archdiocese of Vaduz.
Excavations reveal a church building existed here. Its oldest parts date back to the 5th century. An “ecclesia St. Petri” is first mentioned in a document from 1298. This was in a letter of indulgence. The building you see today dates back to the second half of the 15th century.
Visitation records from 1639 and 1640 mention a tower. This tower held two bells. Records from the late 18th century indicate the chapel was in poor condition. In 1823, Prince Johann I gifted the Kapelle St. Peter to the community of Schaan.
That same year, exterior and interior renovations took place. A major fire in Schaan in 1859 severely damaged the Peterskapelle. After initial repairs, it was reconsecrated in 1851. Further construction gradually gave the building a neo-Gothic appearance. The west wall received a stepped gable. A roof turret was erected. Sgraffito decorations adorned the west wall. The interior choir received neo-Gothic paintings.
During an interior renovation from 1915 to 1919, the choir and nave were decorated. Ornamental stencil paintings were applied. The nave’s base zone received ashlar painting.
Renovations between 1961 and 1963, led by architect Hans Rheinberger, corrected previous changes. The stepped gable, pinnacles, and roof turret disappeared. A new freestanding tower in the style of a campanile was erected. The paintings on the west side were removed. The entrance there was closed. A new entrance was created on the north side. Inside, the gallery was removed. The paintings from the 1915 to 1919 renovation were removed. This revealed late medieval murals. A 1995 renovation secured and slightly corrected the 1961 to 1963 work.
The eastward-facing sacred building consists of a nave with a steep gable roof. To the east is the slightly indented, vaulted choir. It ends in a five-eighths closure. A sacristy is attached to the choir on the east. To the north stands the early 1960s bell tower with a slightly inclined pent roof. A large cross is attached to its west side. It extends beyond the eaves line. A clock face is visible there. The tower has sound openings on the south side. Three bells hang in the tower. They were cast in 1852 by the Grassmayr bell foundry in Feldkirch. They measure 67, 53, and 45 cm in diameter. On the west wall, the former access is closed. A niche indicates its position. A pointed arch window is above it.
Inside, the nave and choir are covered by net vaults. The choir is painted red between the ribs. The chancel arch is a depressed pointed arch. The choir is illuminated by three pointed arch windows without tracery. The net vault over the chapel’s nave is the only remaining vaulted nave from the late Middle Ages in Liechtenstein. The nave is also lit by three pointed arch windows without tracery. One is on each side wall. One is in the back wall.
Wall paintings from different centuries adorn the church. Some were covered and uncovered. Others were covered again. The oldest works on the side walls probably date from the late 15th century. They were discovered in 1917. They were then painted over again. They were not fully exposed until the renovation work in the early 1960s. Other depictions probably date from the early 17th century. Some date from after the fire of 1849.
In 1962 and 1963, the chancel was re-equipped. The altar, ambo, and priests’ seats were created by Liechtenstein artist Georg Malin. The disc cross hanging above the altar is a metal relief of the triumphant Christ. It also comes from Georg Malin. A late Gothic South German Madonna and Child made of wood is on the chancel arch wall. It is a copy of an approximately 90 cm high figure. The original is kept in the Liechtenstein National Museum.
A small organ has been in the chapel on the west wall since 1977. It is an instrument with seven stops. It was built by Mathis Orgelbau from Näfels. The Kapelle St. Peter stands as a remarkable blend of history, art, and faith.