Blatten chapel, “Maria Rosenkranzkönigin”
Blatten chapel stands on a small rise, on the “Blatten" – a rock ledge in the eponymous hamlet below Furi, at an altitude of 1,740 m. This chapel is one of the best known in Zermatt, and is clearly visible from the gondolas of the Matterhorn Express.
The baroque chapel with recessed choir was built in 1640. The entrance was originally located on the north side, where its outlines are still clearly visible. It was moved to the east side in 1704 and protected with a porch, a massive pillared arcade. When the French overran the village in 1798, the inhabitants of Blatten and Zum See are said to have hidden their modest weapons in the attic of this porch. The interior and exterior of the church were renovated in 1983, and the red paintwork was applied. Until the 20th century, the faithful continued to make pilgrimages to Blatten in two processions. The so-called “Long Procession”, with vespers not far from the chapel, led via Moos back to the village church.
Mary, Queen of the Rosary
The stone-vaulted chapel is dedicated to Mary, Queen of the Rosary. The small altarpiece from the early baroque period, a one-level retable, shows the Mother of God with a nimbus whose points end in stylised roses. The five angels’ heads correspond to the five laws and the fifteen roses to the secrets of the rosary.
The altar is crowned with a simple statue of St Joseph. The original Madonna is missing; it was replaced long ago by a plaster figure. The Zermatt priest Oswald Perren made the chapel a gift of its current Madonna from southern Italy. The Mother of God is carrying the Child Jesus on her arm. A sturdy choir grille protects the altar and the statue from theft and destruction, while the leaded glass windows let sun and light into the room. A simple Stations of the Cross without inscriptions decorates the chapel nave.
- Candles for lighting
- Beside the Furi–Zermatt footpath
- Beside the Furi–Zermatt ski piste