First day of the commemorative stamp "Annenaltar" by Wolf Huber, Feldkirch Cathedral

Stamp behind wings

One of Vorarlberg’s most valuable art treasures, the Annenaltar in the Cathedral of Feldkirch, is now being honoured with a special miniature sheet designed like a winged altarpiece that can be opened.

The Annenaltar has a fascinating history. Commissioned by the Feldkirch Annabruderschaft (St Anne’s Brotherhood), it was created in 1521 by the painter, draughtsman and master builder Wolf Huber, a native of Feldkirch, in his workshop in Passau. Huber is regarded as a leading figure of the Danube School of painting, and the Annenaltar is his main work, marking the transition from late Gothic to Renaissance art. The richly detailed landscapes and buildings in the background of the paintings emphasise the solemn mood of the religious scenes, while the figures appear in bright, luminous colours. The altar originally stood in a side chapel of the cathedral. During alterations in 1822, the side panels were lost, only to be rediscovered in 1953 at the Riedenburg convent. After many detours, they were returned to the Feldkirch Cathedral, and in 2005 the Annenaltar was finally reunited with its original wings.

The special miniature sheet shows the central section of the Annenaltar with its wings closed, depicting scenes from the life of Saint Anne, the mother of Mary. When the wings are opened, the inner sides reveal scenes from the life of Jesus as well as the main panel, The Lamentation of Christ after the Descent from the Cross. This painting, signed by Wolf Huber, forms the motif of the detachable stamp.

When? 
17 October 2025, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Presentation at 10:00 a.m.

Where? Feldkirch Cathedral, Domplatz 6, 6800 Feldkirch

Group photos: Photo 1
Photo of presentation: © Gilde St. Gabriel 

Group photo, left to right: Manfred Rädler (Mayor of Feldkirch), Harald Staffler (Gabriel Vorarlberg Regional Guild, VÖPh Regio West). Wilhelm Remes (President, Austrian Philately Association St. Gabriel), Patricia Liebermann (Head of Philately at Austrian Post), epicopal vicar Rudolf Bischof, parish priest Fabian Jochum