You are standing in the place where the Markenbildchen-Kapelle once stood, a small but incredibly important Chapel of the Virgin Mary for the residents. Let's go back to a time when the southern suburbs of Koblenz were just fields, meadows, and vineyards. In these open spaces, far from the city's hustle and bustle, stood two small shrines. One of them was called Märker Bildchen - literally, a holy image 'outside the city'. The second, known as the Chapel of Poor Sinners, was the burial place for those condemned to death by the court. Imagine the processions that followed the old Stations of the Cross path from the Rhine to the chapel at the foot of the Carthusian hill - an almost mystical atmosphere, full of silence and prayer.
In 1851, when the old shrines fell into disrepair, the widow Saarburg donated 200 thalers for the construction of a new chapel. A building committee was formed, and the residents contributed the rest of the amount. Princess Augusta of Koblenz herself donated a wooden and glass vestibule, candlesticks, and a painting. The chapel was solemnly consecrated on July 2nd. Inside stood a miraculous, late Baroque depiction of the Madonna and Child, surrounded by a radiant halo - a wooden sculpture made around 1720.
As the city's expansion gained momentum, a roundabout and semicircular townhouses were built around the chapel. People came here for processions, especially on Trinity Sunday, praying for blessings. However, in 1944, everything changed dramatically - air raids almost completely destroyed the chapel. Only the miraculous depiction of the Madonna survived, which was moved to St. Joseph's parish church. Today, a basalt plaque at the entrance to the house at Markenbildchenweg 32 commemorates it - the last trace of a quiet treasury of faith that once thrived here.
