Sakramentskapelle

Just a few steps from Büren’s market square stands the impressive Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. The octagonal Baroque structure, with its curved dome and lantern, was built between 1717 and 1720 based on a design by the then-young Johann Conrad Schlaun, who later became one of Westphalia’s most important Baroque architects. The chapel standing today is already the third structure to occupy this site.

The history of the site, however, stretches back much further and represents a poignant chapter in Büren’s municipal history. A medieval penitential chapel commemorated the murder of Jewish citizens by Büren residents in 1292. Later, this event was distorted by the legend of an alleged desecration of the Host by Jewish citizens. The current chapel brings this history to light and critically examines the development of anti-Jewish legends.

Since 1961, the Sacrament Chapel has served as a memorial to the victims of war and violence. In front of the chapel, a memorial erected in 1994 commemorates the victims of war, terror, and violence. The chapel thus combines impressive Baroque architecture with a place of remembrance and engagement with history.