Saha Chapel, Harjumaa, Estonia

The chapel in Saha used to be one of the oldest ecclesiastical centres of Rävala Maakond (Shire). Originally, Saha Church was made of wood, it was burnt down around 1223. Four cult stones with small hollows dating from the 1st millennium BC, located close to the chapel indicate that it had been an ancient cult place. The current chapel was built by builders from Tallinn in the second quarter of the 15th century.

Structurally, the chapel bears striking similarities to Pirita Klooster. This simple double-vaulted parallelogram-shaped buiding is slightly asymetrical. Several construction details, like very high placed windows, a corner tower, a high gable roof etc., show that in addition to serving as the house of god, the Chapel had other functions as well. In case of necessity it could become a fortified stronghold protecting against enemy attacks, a resting place for pilgrims or a storage room for merchants. The chapel was badly damaged during the Great Northern War and was restored as recently as 1962-1969.

References:

rebala.ee

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.

Saha Chapel

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Wieskirche