Status: 24.12.2023, 18:28 PM
By: Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
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Come in: Georg Kappelsberger (66) likes to open the small plague chapel in the Dietramszell district of Bairawies to visitors. The ceiling fresco is impressive. © Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
Georg Kappelsberger has the key to the Plague Chapel - it was recently renovated and shines in new splendor. At Christmas, we looked inside.
To get in the mood for Christmas, we invite you, dear readers, to take a look behind a window or door in the district, which usually remains closed to the public. Today, in the last episode of our series "Advent Windows", you will get an insight into the small plague chapel in the Dietramszell district of Bairawies.
Built in memory: Newly consecrated plague chapel in Bairawies impresses
Bairawies – The "Black Death", as the plague is commonly called, also had a rich harvest in Bairawies at the beginning of the 17th century. "Only one maid and one innkeeper were the only ones to survive," says Georg Kappelsberger. For the people of that time, this was like a miracle. "You have to imagine: Only two people didn't die – all the others, friends, neighbors, relatives, were swept away by the epidemic," says the Dietramszeller. The cemetery had long since ceased to be sufficient to provide a final resting place for all the dead. Without further ado, the corpses were burned or hurriedly buried at the "Plague Hatchet", a piece of forest east of the village.
In 1626, a small, simple chapel was built in her memory. "And still in timber construction," says the 66-year-old. It was not until 1767 that the chapel was built in its present octagonal form.
Kappelsberger unlocks the heavy wooden door for our newspaper. It is easy to explain why he has the keys to the gem on state road 2072: On the one hand, he works as a sacristan in the church of St. Koloman, which is only a few hundred meters away, and on the other hand, the Dietramszell resident is a direct resident of the Plague Chapel. "And a key more or less on the key ring doesn't matter," he says with a smile. Last but not least, his family's attachment to the memorial is a great tradition. "My mother has already done this service. At some point, she gave me the task."
300-year-old altar, impressive ceiling fresco
The wooden door swings quietly inwards. A few prayer benches stand in front of the approximately 300-year-old altar. A Christmas arrangement made of fir branches stands in front of it. "On Christmas Eve, the figures are added," explains Kappelsberger. The most impressive feature of the chapel is the decent-fresco, a work attributed to the Tölz painter Wilhelm Anton Fett. It describes the reason why the chapel was built.
Blazing funeral pyres can be seen on the fresco, the dead are transported on carts. A woman standing next to a corpse covers her nose in horror because of the smell of decay.
The Bairawieser not only suffered from the deadly plague, but at the same time the cattle epidemic was rampant. This is evidenced by the depictions of numerous dying animals in the fresco.
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Most recently, in 2021/2022, the chapel was restored, first on the outside and then on the inside. The work of the various craftsmen was so successful that it was honoured with the Upper Bavarian Monument Prize in the category "Recognition". In July 2023, Father Bernardus Saputro consecrated the jewel with great participation from the population. "Since then, interested parties have always wanted to take a look inside," says Kappelsberger.
However, leaving the front door of the chapel open at all times did not prove to be useful. "It's in the direction of the weather side," explains Kappelsberger. "So if it rains, and I don't get there fast enough, the inside of the chapel could be affected." What do visitors do when Kappelsberger can't be reached with his bunch of keys? The 66-year-old laughs heartily: "Wait – or just look in through the window."