Antonius-Kapelle Appenzell

The Antonius Chapel is the largest chapel in the village of Appenzell at the entrance to the Gaishaus district in the Rinkenbach.

The Chapel of St. Antonius in Rinkenbach is the "architecturally richest chapel building in terms of original Baroque furnishings" in Appenzell Innerrhoden. On the steep roof sits a six-sided turret with an onion dome. In the nave, a mighty coffered ceiling spans the room. The wooden gallery dates from 1685 and is richly decorated with pulpit (1673), choir arch cross and sanctus chandelier. In particular, the early Baroque high altar (1666), made by an unknown artist, is the most important surviving Baroque altarpiece building in Innerrhoden. The altarpiece and the upper pictures of the side altars (18th century) are the work of the Innerrhoden artist Johann Sebastian Hersche. It has 106 seats and a gallery.

History
The beginnings of the St. Antonius Chapel go back to a foundation in which Elisabeth Grunder had the first "Capelli" built around 1661. Auxiliary Bishop Müller consecrated it on 7 April 1671. As early as 1690, St. Anton im Rinkenbach was a frequently visited pilgrimage destination. The reason for the veneration was the fact that Antonius, the hermit, was originally the patron saint of cattle farmers. At the beginning of the 19th century, various minor and major repairs were carried out. In 1900, a complete renovation of the chapel took place. In 1911, the sign partially collapsed; in 1912, a new sign was erected, again in arcade form. In 1937, the turret was given a copper roof. After the chapel was threatened with decay, a comprehensive renovation took place in 1981/82 under the direction of the Eidg. Commission for the Preservation of Monuments. It cost just under one million francs. The canton of Zug covered 400,000 francs of the renovation costs, the rest was divided. In 1984, a two-manual organ by Eugen Hauser was installed. In 2022, a comprehensive interior renovation took place, which will give the chapel a new lease of life after several months of closure.