Sebastian Chapel

Brig is a town in the Upper Valais, where the roads and railway lines from the Rhône valley meet the route over the Simplon Pass to Italy, and its role as a junction has shaped its history and its buildings. Pilgrims, soldiers and merchants passed through for centuries, and the town grew prosperous from the trade over the pass, as the grand palace of the merchant Stockalper shows. Alongside the large buildings, Brig has a number of small chapels, and the one dedicated to Saint Sebastian is among them. Details of the building's date and decoration are not widely documented, so it is more helpful to explain what such a chapel represents than to claim specifics about it.

Saint Sebastian is one of the most popular saints of the Catholic world. He was a Roman soldier and martyr of the third century who, according to the tradition, was condemned to be shot with arrows for his Christian faith and survived, only to be killed later. Artists painted him as a young man pierced with arrows, a subject that was especially popular in the Renaissance. From the Middle Ages, he was invoked as a protector against plague, because the arrows were compared to the sudden strikes of the disease, and in times of epidemic communities turned to him for help. Chapels dedicated to him were built in many European towns and villages, often at the edge of settlements, near the roads, and often as the result of vows made in time of plague or after an epidemic had passed.

The Valais has been strongly Catholic since the Counter-Reformation, and in the towns and villages of the valley, small chapels are a feature of the landscape. They stand at crossroads, on hillsides and along the old routes, and they served as places of prayer for wayfarers, farmers and families, as well as stops for processions on feast days. Many contain simple altars with carved and painted wooden figures, votive paintings and offerings left by people who believed that a prayer had been answered. The decoration is often naive in style, and the objects are an expression of popular devotion, so they give a different picture of religious life from the great churches. In Brig, the combination of the palace, the church of the Jesuits and the small chapels creates a layered townscape of the Baroque period.

The chapel is open at certain times, or only on special occasions, and visitors may need to check with the tourist office or parish. It is a place of worship, so behave quietly and respect any services. A visit takes ten to fifteen minutes, so it is best combined with other places in Brig. The Stockalper Palace is a few minutes' walk away, and the old town, with its pedestrian streets and fountains, offers cafés and shops. The town is a good base for trips on the Simplon Pass road and for walks in the surrounding mountains.

The chapel suits those with an interest in religious art, local history and quiet corners. Wear comfortable shoes for the cobbled streets, and ask at the tourist office for maps and information about guided walks that include the chapel.