The small, picturesque Poor Souls' Chapel in Trämel became the destination of many pilgrims.
The extravagant altarpiece of the Poor Souls' Chapel in Trämel depicts the poor souls in the red blazing sea of flames of purgatory, who are to be relieved through a sacrifice at mass, prayer and the intercession of the Mother of God.
The story goes that Chaplain Benjamin Bammatter fell into a crevasse in the "small glacier" above Belalp, east of Hohstock, which still existed at the time. He promised the Lord God that he would build a chapel on the Trämel if he was rescued. He managed to free himself. He honoured his promise and built the Poor Souls' Chapel on the Trämel, above Hegdorn, in 1902. This was visited by numerous pilgrims and the place became a place of pilgrimage. Consequently, the chaplain had a pilgrim's shelter built below the chapel, where the pilgrims who travelled there could eat the food they had brought with them.
The extravagant altarpiece of the Poor Souls' Chapel in Trämel depicts the poor souls in the red blazing sea of flames of purgatory, who are to be relieved through a sacrifice at mass, prayer and the intercession of the Mother of God.
The story goes that Chaplain Benjamin Bammatter fell into a crevasse in the "small glacier" above Belalp, east of Hohstock, which still existed at the time. He promised the Lord God that he would build a chapel on the Trämel if he was rescued. He managed to free himself. He honoured his promise and built the Poor Souls' Chapel on the Trämel, above Hegdorn, in 1902. This was visited by numerous pilgrims and the place became a place of pilgrimage. Consequently, the chaplain had a pilgrim's shelter built below the chapel, where the pilgrims who travelled there could eat the food they had brought with them.
Who was Chaplain Benjamin Bammatter?
Chaplain Benjamin Bammatter was born in Naters in 1862 and died in Bern in 1924. He sometimes pretended to be a bishop and a pope. In addition to the Chapel of the Poor Souls in Trämel, he built the Café-Restaurant Belalp, the Café-Restaurant Post and various houses in Naters and on the Natischerberg.
Opening times of the Chapel of the Poor Souls
The chapel is always open. Devotions and masses are also held here throughout the year. Information on this can be found on the Naters-Mund parish website.