Cappella di Sant'Anna

Above Staffal, on the slopes climbing towards the Bettaforca pass, the chapel of Sant'Anna has stood since 1726 at 2,178 metres. Built by a local notary and restored in 1995, the chapel reflects the religious life of the high pastures.

Why it matters

Altitude changes what a chapel means. At 2,178 metres, the Cappella di Sant'Anna is not a hamlet's parish furniture but a landmark in open pasture, set among the pastures and slopes towards the Colle di Bettaforca. Built in 1726 by the notary J. J. Thedy, first judge of the Barony of Vallaise, the chapel reflects the interwoven civil and religious history of the Walser communities. The chapel is a centuries-old building in high-mountain country, surrounded by the ridges of the Monte Rosa group.

What to notice

The interior has dome frescoes of the four evangelists and Saints Nicholas and Valentine, a Pentecost scene, a gilded wooden altar with twisted columns, a stone font and an architrave dated 1734. A plaque commemorates Pope John Paul II's passage in 2001. The feast of Saint Anne falls on 26 July.

Context and history

The chapel belongs to the eighteenth-century wave of chapel-building that completed Gressoney-La-Trinité's sacred geography, following Tschaval (1624), Orsia (1652) and Biel (1736). Its founder, however, was no simple villager: J. J. Thedy was a notary and first judge of the Barony of Vallaise, the feudal jurisdiction over this part of the Lys valley, linking civil and religious authority in the Walser communities. The chapel was restored in 1995. It is also known as the chapel of Sant'Anna all'Alpe Sitten or Betta, and a plaque commemorates Pope John Paul II's 2001 visit. Its position towards the Bettaforca pass links it to the surrounding pastoral landscape.