Description of the attraction
The Chapel of St. Martin is located in a picturesque alpine valley just one and a half kilometers from the center of the town of Galtura. It is a squat wooden structure reminiscent of ancient Romanesque churches. However, it was built already in the middle of the 17th century.
It is interesting that earlier this place housed a stable of a peasant estate. The temple itself was built on a more ancient foundation. The church is distinguished by a steep sloping roof and a miniature bell tower topped with an onion-shaped dome, which is very common in Austria and southern Germany. The construction was completed in 1678.
As for the interior of the temple, it is especially worth noting the pretentious vaulted ceilings in the choir, made in the tradition of Gothic churches. The wooden ceilings are modestly decorated with ornaments. The main altar of the temple is also not very splendid and is an image of the patron saint of the church - St. Martin, surrounded by statues of two other saints - Gregory and John the Baptist. This altar dates back to 1680.
The left side altar contains a unique shrine - the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, considered a copy of the famous Cranach Madonna from the Cathedral of the city of Innsbruck. And the right side altar differs in that it belonged to the previous building of the Church of St. Martin - it was completed in 1624 and dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Other details of the interior of the temple belong to the later historical period, although the carved wooden benches survived in 1682. The sculptures in the choir, including the Crucifix and the statue of St. Martin, date from the early 18th century, presumably 1720. And the depiction of the Lamentation of Christ (Pieta) was completed already in 1790.
