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 St. Jacob Chapel - Brandenburg, Germany
N 52° 24.158 E 012° 33.263
33U E 333630 N 5808636
The oldest small chapel in ancient Brandenburg.
Waymark Code: WM120HF
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 01/23/2020
Views: 2
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The 1000 year-old city of Brandenburg / Havel is home to a number of large medieval churches, such as St.Katharinen,
St. Johannis and the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, but of the large number of small medieval chapels, only one survived - St. Jacob (or St. Jakob in German).
The chapel was built around 1320 as part of the St. Jakob hospital, which was founded in 1315.
It is located about a quarter mile west of the Stone Gate, which, in medieval times was the city limit.
There were two reasons to have hospitals outside the city walls: |
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The hospitals were able to treat sick travelers without admitting them into town and thus spreading infectious diseases. (It did, however, not stop the plague from ravaging the town twice in 1566 and in 1598.)
Placing the hospital strategically outside the city along the Military Road, an ancient rout crossing the east of Germany, allowed the patients to solicit for support of wealthy travelers. Back then, begging was the only source of income for the hospital.
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In the 19th century, the city outgrew its old boundaries. The hospital building was demolished, but the chapel was kept. In 1892, the chapel had to make way for a new bypass. But instead of demolishing it, it was moved 36 feet to the west. It was one of the first moves of a complete building, and as such an engineering masterstroke.
In 2005, the exterior of the chapel was completely renovated. Inside, the building is empty, serving as a studio for art classes.
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Building Materials: Stone
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Visit Instructions:
Logs for Medieval churches waymark must contain a date found and any details about the visit there. Also photos and other experiences related to the building are welcome.
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