No. 1131
The history of the chapel from Raron begins with a wedding: in 1670 the court clerk Johannes Kalbermatten married Juliana Allet from Leuk. A document mentioning that the wedding party consisted of 30 guests is the first reference to a previous construction of the chapel from Raron, which was dedicated to Saint Laurentius.

Since the Middle Ages, the hamlet of Turtig has been a stopping place on the old “Imperial road and highway” through the Valais. Transit traffic through the small hamlet came to an end with the building of a new by-pass road. The chapel probably dates from the early or mid 18th century and is a typical example of Baroque village chapels found in the Valais. Inside, the nave was covered by a stone barrel vault until the 1940’s. When this collapsed in 1943, the parish community decided to build a new chapel, which was consecrated on 1st July 1951.

The chapel, originally dedicated to the saints Laurentius and Sebastian, received a new patron saint at some stage; the exact point of time is not known. Saint Agatha’s association with the chapel was first mentioned in 1795. However, in 1897, Laurentius and Agatha were mentioned jointly.
During the Catholic year, there were three processions prior to Ascension Day, ending in a pilgrimage to the chapel to ask for God’s blessing. Saint Agatha is the patron saint for protection against fire. On her saint’s day, 5th February, the fire-brigade from Raron used to participate in the Church Service.

The original fixtures and fittings were moved to the new chapel in 1951. Before the chapel could be opened in Ballenberg the objects for the interior had to be acquired from various sources.

The Bishop of Sitten helped the Museum acquire the altar, while the old font came from a stone-mason’s collection and the two original pews from a chapel in Raron. The iron cross, the bell from the year 1832 and the Stations of the Cross are copies.
“Tu es Petrus” (You are Peter): this sentence is written under the picture of the apostle in the middle of the screen dating from the 18th century. Crowning this is the symbol of Jesus IHS with the three crucifix nails. The oil painting is flanked by the archangel Michael with sword and scales referring to the Last Judgement, and Gabriel pro-claiming the Good Tidings to Mary. Below, in the centre of the altar, there is an extraordinarily beautiful wooden sculpture of Mary with the child Jesus. The statue on the left is that of Theodul or Theodor from Octodurum (Martigny), Bishop of Sitten and patron saint of the Valais. He is holding the shepherd’s crook in one hand and grapes in the other. The altar itself portraying Christ in all his anguish (shroud, thorns, scars) and the four apostles, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, does not match the style of the screen. It is not as old and probably dates from the 19th century.