Ever wonder about the story behind this unassuming chapel? This is the Philomena-Kapelle. It is also known as the Seewalchner Kapelle. Tucked away in Maxglan, a part of Liefering in Salzburg, the Seewalchner Kapelle stands as a testament to faith and history.
Let’s delve into its past. The Seewalchner Kapelle, or Philomena-Kapelle, finds its home between the Christian-Doppler-Klinik and the General Keyes Siedlung. You will find it along Ignaz-Harrer-Straße opposite house number 100. Though located within the parish of Maxglan, the Christian-Doppler-Klinik owns it. The surrounding parishes use it for events. These include the annual Philomena Mass and Advent wreath blessing.
The Seewalchner Kapelle enjoys historical protection. It is a recognized landmark. It is even a stop on the Liefering cultural hiking trail.
Around 1830, the simple chapel building was erected. It was expanded around 1837. The Seewalchner Kapelle was part of the Guggenbichlergut estate back then. Some believe it stands where a Weichbildkreuz once stood. These crosses marked city limits. They were often transformed into religious sites with markers, crosses, and chapels.
A cross was added to the Philomena-Kapelle in 1839. It marked a Stations of the Cross. Until 1904, it had a license to hold Masses. Around 1887 or 1888, the Herz-Jesu missionaries arrived in Salzburg. Before acquiring the Schlossbauerngut as a mission house, they sometimes held their Masses here. Votive offerings and panels once in the chapel testified to local pilgrimages.
Around 1895, Anna Fäustle acquired the Guggenbichlergut grounds. Her daughter, also named Anna, sold the land to the Salzburg state government in 1902. This expansion was for the adjacent New State Mental Asylum. It opened in 1898. Today, it is the Christian-Doppler-Klinik. A memorial stone for Anna Fäustle is in the chapel. The Villa Fäustle, is a protected building, still stands on the clinic grounds.
In 1904, the Mass license expired. Church equipment and the altar stone went to the chapel of Villa Marien-Stein. It was built in 1904 on Lieferinger Hauptstraße. The Christian-Doppler-Klinik administration renovated the Philomena-Kapelle in 1932 and 1946. Private efforts restored it again in 1960. In 2002, the Christian-Doppler-Klinik renewed the facade and roofed the structure.
The chapel is a simple building. It features a round apse and a gabled roof. The flat-arched barrel vault is notable. The original wrought-iron gate from the construction period remains before the altar. A marble inscription and a Maria-Plain image once adorned the door. The image is no longer there.
The interior features a flat-arched vault. It extends over the nave and the round-arched end. A wrought-iron gate stands before the apse. The floor has square red and white marble slabs. A wooden statue of the scourged Savior was once part of the furnishings. The current Mary statue dates to 1960.
A memorial inscription in the Seewalchner Kapelle offers a message. It says may all who come here in life’s distress find comfort. May even those of different minds remember that this chapel is dear to many. It urges them to protect it from harm. As you stand before the Seewalchner Kapelle, remember its long history. It is a place of solace. It is a symbol of community. It is a reminder of faith.