On 26 March 1791, twenty lay brothers founded the Chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua in the village of Chiave, within Cortina d'Ampezzo. Destroyed in 1809 when passing Napoleonic troops set fire to the entire settlement, the chapel was promptly rebuilt and later underwent a comprehensive restoration in 1933.
What to see
The exterior features simple classical lines and a gabled roof crowned by a small wooden bell tower with round-arched sound openings, a bulbous dome, and two bells. A 1930s fresco depicting Saint Anthony holding the Infant Jesus adorns the main facade. Inside, the single-nave space gives access to a sacristy on the right. The Baroque main altar displays an altarpiece painted by local artist Giuseppe Lacedelli (1774–1832). The side altar was acquired in Oberassen in the Puster Valley in 1841 and likely originated from a 17th-century Friulian workshop. Two early statues resting on wall brackets depict the Man of Sorrows and Saint Catherine of Siena. The presbytery holds two 17th- to 18th-century paintings showing Christ and Saint Anne, while above the entrance hangs a canvas of Saint John the Evangelist, likely moved from the church of Santa Caterina. In a niche on the right stands a large mother-of-pearl cross brought from Jerusalem by Enrico Gaspari Becheréto as a gift in memory of his mother Rosa.
Visiting
Inside the chapel, an inscription mounted above the main doorway commemorates the extensive 1933 restoration work. The single-room interior allows visitors to view all the artwork and sacred furnishings preserved by the local community over the centuries.
Our editors' tip
Take a moment to observe the contrast on the main facade between the 20th-century fresco and the wooden onion-domed bell tower, a characteristic architectural feature of alpine church design in the region.