Chapel Maria Hilf

The Maria Hilf Chapel in Andermatt was built in 1735/1736 on a hill above the village and offers an impressive view of Andermatt and the Ursern Valley. It was built at a time when avalanches posed a major threat to the population and is still considered a symbol of faith and protection today. However, its history goes back even further: after the severe avalanche winter of 1720, Maria Renner, out of gratitude for her deliverance, had a wooden panel with the miraculous image of Mariahilf attached to a fir tree in the Bannwald forest. Worship of the image quickly developed. Johann Jakob Danioth from Andermatt vowed to build a chapel after his seriously ill wife and daughter recovered. The foundation stone was laid in 1723 and the first chapel was consecrated in 1724. As this soon became too small, the valley community decided to build a new one. The current chapel was finally built in 1735/1736.