Kirche Schlatt

St. Josef (19 March)

The parish church of Schlatt is visible from afar and forms the centre of the hamlet.

In the ground plan, the hall of the nave, which is slightly indented in the middle, is followed by an accidental with the closed side rooms of the baptistery and the gallery staircase, and the three-sided choir in the west. Onion domes crown the tower and the two-storey sacristy. Inside, the rococo pulpit (1760) of the old church is still preserved, and at the back of the baptismal font, the baroque grille on the baptistery (from 1765/70) deserves special attention. This was once the choir barrier of the old chapel, which was demolished in 1911 in favour of the new church. The organ was made by Kuhn, Männedorf (1920), and the four bells by Fritz Hamm, Staad (1928). The church has 72 seats and a gallery.

History
Originally, there was a wayside shrine in honour of St. Joseph in Schlatt. Later, around 1722, a chapel was built there. Around the middle of the 18th century, a new nave was added to the existing worship chapel. It was striking that the choir of this little church was much smaller and lower than the chapel. In 1794, the nave of the chapel was extended by a bay, and in 1874 a new tower was built. The chapel was renovated in 1875. Shortly after 1900, there was also a shortage of space in Schlatt; in addition, the chapel had become dilapidated. Since a further extension was not possible, it was decided in 1905 to have a new church built. The old church was demolished in March 1911,
and on 12 June 1912, the new church, built by architect August Hardegger, was consecrated by Bishop Ferdinand Rüegg. It was restored in 1980/81 under Felix Schmid. The Eidg. Commission for the Preservation of Monuments noted that "an almost exemplary restoration" had been achieved here. The last renovation took place in 2007/08.