Cappella del Sacrario Militare di Pocol

The small chapel at Pocol was built in 1916 within a wartime cemetery above Cortina d'Ampezzo. It survives beside the later monumental military shrine, preserving a more intimate form of remembrance from the years of the conflict itself.

Why it matters

The cemetery received Italian soldiers killed on the Dolomite front. Its chapel, associated with the soldiers of the 5th Alpini group and the military engineers, formed a religious centre for the burial ground known as Alle aquile delle Tofane.

What to notice

An iron door opens into a compact polygonal room. The painted vault combines laurel, braziers and brigade coats of arms. Pio Sòlero's painting of a soldier watching over a fallen comrade links the interior with personal loss and military mourning.

Context and history

The reorganisation of the cemetery in 1935 accompanied the creation of the larger Sacrario Militare, designed by Giovanni Raimondi. Remains from other war cemeteries in Cadore and Ampezzo were brought together there. The older chapel remained, creating a contrast between a wartime foundation and the monumental commemorative architecture erected after the war.