A cannonball’s impact a testament to history. This is the Lorettokapelle Freiburg. Before you stands a small yet significant chapel. It sits atop the Lorettoberg a beloved Freiburg landmark.
The Lorettokapelle’s story begins not with saints or angels but with a bloody battle. The Thirty Years’ War raged in 1644. Fierce fighting occurred on the slopes of the Schlierberg. Thousands of soldiers died. Freiburg’s citizens vowed to build a chapel if the Bavarian troops under Field Marshal Mercy won. They did. Freiburg was spared worse destruction.
Thirteen years later in 1657 the Lorettokapelle was completed. Christoph Mang a guild master funded its construction. He modeled it after a similar chapel in Loreto Italy. This Italian chapel was famous. It was a significant pilgrimage site. The Freiburg Lorettokapelle isn’t just one chapel. It’s three under a single roof. The central one is dedicated to Mary. The Josephskapelle added later is on the west side. The Annenkapelle on the east served as a sacristy. The Josephskapelle’s baroque stucco is impressive. The name Josephsbergle for the hill hints at a prior chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph.
In 1744 during the War of the Austrian Succession another battle occurred. King Louis XV of France watched the bombardment of Freiburg from the Lorettokapelle’s front. Despite an agreement not to fire on the area a cannonball struck the chapel. Miraculously the king survived. The cannonball remains above a side door.
The Lorettokapelle faced threats. Kaiser Joseph II’s 1788 decree ordered the closing of side chapels. Freiburg citizens protested. They sent a petition to Vienna. The Lorettokapelle survived along with St Ottilien. Another closure attempt in 1807 was also repelled.
Late 18th-century renovations covered original paintings. These were based on Loreto prints by Johann Caspar Brenzinger. In 1902 Josef Schultis painstakingly restored them. Today the Lorettokapelle is a cultural monument. It’s a testament to faith resilience and the enduring power of history. A visit here is a journey through centuries. The Lorettokapelle tells of wars vows and the unwavering devotion of Freiburgers.