Description of the attraction
For almost six centuries of its existence, the St. Valentine's Chapel has been repeatedly passed from hand to hand of different people and churches, changing its purpose and appearance. Probably no other church building in Ulm has such a rich history.
In the 13-14th century, in the place where the St. Valentine's Chapel now stands, there were huge monastery wine cellars, because it was Ulm at that time that was the “staging post” for the sparkling wine trade. In 1458, a resident of the city, Heinrich Rembold, built a chapel - a family tomb, the same wine cellars were used as a crypt. A small Catholic church was consecrated in honor of St. Valentine, the patron saint of the Rembold family. After the Reformation, the chapel lost its spiritual purpose and began to be used by the townspeople as a beer warehouse, a place for packing yarn and other needs. During this period, the chapel even received its nickname "Salt Chapel" for storing 1200 pounds of bacon, purchased by the city council for those in need.
Saving the St. Valentine's Chapel from rebuilding or demolition during the rebuilding of Cathedral Square, at the end of the 19th century it was bought at an auction by the Ulm drawing teacher Eduard Mauch. It was he who subsequently began the first restoration of the church.
After the Second World War (during which the chapel cellars were used as a bomb shelter), a revival began as a religious building. Since 1945, the chapel was occupied by the Russian Orthodox Church, which at that time had a fairly large community. After its disintegration, Greeks and Serbs performed divine services in the chapel. Since 1994, the chapel of St. Valentina is again under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church.
