Josefskapelle

The chapel was erected where the wayside shrine "Jesusbildche" previously stood. The neo-Gothic building was planned and constructed by former citizens of Münstermaifeld, master builder Sesterhenn and Sons from Cologne, and architect Welsch from Munich.

The initiators were supported by residents and craftsmen from the city. On January 28, 1881, the city council approved the construction of a chapel on the site of the burnt-down wayside shrine. The project became possible due to the commitment of the citizens of Münstermaifeld.

The decision came at a time when the veneration of Saint Joseph was regaining significance. Pope Pius IX had declared him the patron saint of the church in 1870. As a carpenter, Joseph was also seen as a symbolic figure of the emerging Catholic social teaching and the Kolping movement.

The construction project was favored by the end of the Kulturkampf, which eased the relations between state and church. Thus, the long-vacant parish position was filled again in 1884 with Heinrich Jakob Hermes. Hermes had previously worked in Waldbreitbach and had founded the youth association "Saint Joseph" there.

Mayor Klöppel, who had at times joined the Old Catholics, re-identified with the Catholic Church from 1884 onwards. The Joseph Chapel thus also stands for the renewed Catholic character of the city.