St Mamertus, the stone tower keeping watch over Triesen

Some chapels are worth it for what’s inside, others for where they stand. St Mamertus has both, but if I could keep only one, it would be the picture of its stone tower high above Triesen with the Rhine valley behind. Here’s what it is, why the sources argue over its age, and how to get inside without meeting a locked door.

A tower you can date by its timber

The chapel sits on a ledge above Triesen’s Oberdorf, at 561 m. The Historisches Lexikon describes it as probably the village’s first church and gives its first written record as 1415. The most interesting evidence came from the beams during the 2003 to 2005 restoration. Timber in the tower shaft was dated to 1347, and the roof over the tower and nave to 1439.

From outside it’s unmistakable. The tall medieval nave faces east and ends in a raised semicircular apse. The entrance has a porch with a single-pitch roof, and everything is clad in wooden shingles, the traditional mountain roofing. The tower, on the north side, is unrendered stone with an open timber belfry and an octagonal spire, also shingled. To my eye it’s one of the most photogenic buildings in the south of the country, and it looks best from slightly below, with the vineyards of the upper village in the foreground and the Swiss mountains across the valley behind.

Is it the oldest chapel in Liechtenstein?

The sources don’t agree, and I’d rather give it to you straight. The tourist board calls it Liechtenstein’s oldest chapel, and Triesen council’s website dates it probably to the 9th century and says it’s older than the Marienkapelle in the lower village. The Historisches Lexikon, on the other hand, starts its recorded history in 1415 and keeps the title of oldest church in the country for St Peter’s in Schaan, which is built on a Roman fort.

My take is simple. St Mamertus is among the oldest chapels in the country, and if you want to see the rival claimant, it’s at Schaan’s Roman fort. Digs in 1901 and 1933 found a boundary wall plus remains of buildings and graves here, and further excavations in 1967, 1968 and 1985 couldn’t fully explain what they were for.

What’s inside

The treasure is the frescoes. During the 1967 and 1968 restoration, a cycle painted in the mid-15th century came to light after centuries hidden away. There’s also a wooden Pietà, though it’s worth knowing that it’s a copy. The original, from the second half of the 14th century, is in the LandesMuseum in Vaduz.

The most valuable piece is missing, but it hasn’t gone far. In 1492, or possibly 1494, Ludwig von Brandis gave St Mamertus a late Gothic altarpiece that now stands in St Gallus parish church, in the same upper village. I’d see both on one walk. St Gallus is worth a look in its own right. The present church was built between 1841 and 1843 by the Viennese architect Georg Wingelmüller; in 1942 Johannes Hugentobler painted the 91 panels of its wooden ceiling with a battle between good and evil spirits; and a remodelling from 1991 to 1994 turned it into a near-square hall while keeping the old tower.

The chapel has had lean times too. A bishop’s visitation in 1640 already complained about its state, and it wasn’t put right until 1730.

Getting inside without finding it locked

There are no published opening hours that I could find. What Triesen council’s website does say is that St Mamertus and the Marienkapelle open for interested visitors who ask in advance. I’d email the town hall a few days ahead, especially for a weekend, and if I heard nothing I’d enjoy it from outside, which is reward enough. While you’re at it, I’d ask for the Marienkapelle in the lower village to be opened too, since a recent restoration there uncovered baroque frescoes that, in the council’s words, make a surprising contrast with the plain building. Two chapels, one email.

Walking there

From Vaduz it’s a few minutes south. If you like walking, stage 1 of the Liechtenstein Trail sets off from Gutenberg Castle in Balzers, follows the old Roman road, passes Triesen’s textile mill and the Gasometer, and reaches St Mamertus before climbing towards Triesenberg. The rest of the village is in my guide to Triesen, and the country’s other chapels, compared, are in churches and chapels in Liechtenstein.