Riffelalp chapel, “Herz Jesu”
This elegant chapel stands alone, a little way from the Riffelalp Resort hotel, high above Zermatt at 2,222 m. The private chapel of the Seiler family of hoteliers welcomes visitors to mass on Saturdays during the summer.
Description
The chapel at Riffelalp was built by Alexander Seiler and his wife Catharine Seiler-Cathrein in 1886, and was dedicated on 3 July 1887. It is still in the private ownership of the Seiler family and is only partly accessible. This rather handsome house of God with its recessed choir, small bell tower and small canopy over the entrance is whitewashed, and is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Two commemorative plaques honouring the founders with dedications in French are attached to the exterior wall left and right of the entrance doors. The chapel has various neo-Gothic features such as the altar, the pointed arched windows and the choir arch.
Still the chapel of the Seiler hotelier family
The main figure on the altar, a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue, is flanked by statues of the Mother of God and (presumably) St Rita. Two stained-glass windows showing the Mother of God and St Joseph allow light into the choir. The windows in the nave are made of clear glass. Decorations and commemorative plaques for various members of the Seiler family adorn the walls.
- Popular chapel for weddings
- About 15 minutes’ walk from the Riffelalp station of the Gornergrat Bahn cog railway
- Close to the hiking trails and ski pistes
Map
