St​.​ Sebastian Chapel ​(​Plague Chapel​)​ ​|​ Dalaas

There are a large number of chapels in the Dalaas municipality. A list from 1873 mentions 14 of them, 12 of which still exist today. Most were built during the Baroque period as a visible expression of the popular piety of that time. The choice of patron saints offers insight into the concerns and hardships of the people who lived here in past centuries.

In the Bühel district , a chapel dedicated to Saint Sebastian was built at the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War in the early 17th century. Along with Saint Roch, he is the most important patron saint against the plague. In fact, the oldest death register of the Dalaas parish, which was established during this period, lists by name several victims of this plague. The old chapel was replaced by a new building in 1935, with an inscription commemorating its history.

The small altar inside features a Baroque statue of Saint Sebastian in his typical depiction, pierced by arrows. Above it stands a figure of God the Father. Stylistically, these are attributed to Michael Lechtleitner , an artist from the Tyrolean Oberland who is known to have resided in Bludenz around 1660. He was among the first in a long line of Baroque artists from the neighboring region who found a wide scope for their artistic work in southern Vorarlberg during the 17th and 18th centuries.