Silent Night Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Silent Night Chapel |
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Location | |
| Location | Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria |
| Architecture | |
| Groundbreaking | 1924 |
| Completed | 1937 |
The Silent Night Chapel (German: Stille-Nacht-Kapelle) is a special building in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, a town in Austria. It is a monument dedicated to the famous Christmas carol "Silent Night". This chapel also honors the song's writer, Joseph Mohr, and its composer, Franz Xaver Gruber.
The chapel stands exactly where the song was first performed. This happened on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1818, inside the old St. Nicholas Church.
The Chapel's Story
The original St. Nicholas Church was a Catholic church. It faced many problems in the 1890s because of floods from the Salzach river. A very big flood in 1899 caused a lot of damage. It destroyed a large part of Oberndorf.
Because of this damage and the risk of more floods, people decided to rebuild the entire town. The new town center, including a new church, was built about 800 meters (0.5 mile) away. The old St. Nicholas Church was too expensive to fix. It was replaced by a new church in 1906.
In 1913, the old church was taken down. Only a pile of rubble showed where the famous song was first sung.
The 100th anniversary of the "Silent Night" song was in December 1918. This was a tough time, right after World War I. But many people in Oberndorf still wanted to celebrate the song's message of peace.
Construction of a memorial chapel began in 1924. Building it was slow because of the difficult times in Austria after the war. The chapel was finally finished on August 15, 1937. This date is also a special holiday called the Assumption. The Silent Night Chapel then became a clear symbol of the beloved song.
Every year, especially around Christmas, thousands of visitors come to the chapel. They also visit the museum next to it. On December 24, at 5:00 p.m., a special service is held. Guests love hearing the famous carol sung in many different languages. Since 2002, this celebration has even been shared online through a local webcam.
How the Chapel Looks
The chapel has a unique shape. It is an octagon, which means it has eight sides. It has a special bell-shaped roof and a small tower called a lantern. The entrance has a slanted roof over it.
The arched windows were made in 1935. They feature beautiful stained glass from Tyrol. The main altar has a carving of the Nativity, which shows the birth of Jesus. This carving was made by Hermann Hutter in 1915. The base of the altar has more carvings. These show The Adoration of the Magi, The Crucifixion, and The Flight into Egypt. These were made by Max Domenig in 1936.
Other Silent Night Chapels
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You can find smaller models of the Silent Night Chapel in other places. There's a 1:25 scale model (meaning it's 25 times smaller) at the Mini Mundus park in Klagenfurt, Austria. Another model is at the Mönichkirchen model park in Lower Austria.
There is also a full-size replica of the chapel. You can find it in Frankenmuth, a town in the U.S. state of Michigan.
