Arnold Janssen Chapel
A small chapel on the grounds of the Von-Broichhausen-Stift in Kempen that unites a listed 19th-century brick gable with a 1995 devotional space in honour of Saint Arnold Janssen.
On the grounds of the Von-Broichhausen-Stift on Mülhauser Straße in Kempen stands a small chapel commemorating an important missionary. It combines a listed 19th-century brick gable with a modern devotional space from 1995.
At a Glance
- Location
- grounds of the Von-Broichhausen-Stift, Mülhauser Straße, on the site of the former Ursuline convent
- Built
- 1995 by the Kempen construction firm Jakob Heckmann (led by Hans Heckmann), donated by the company
- Initiated by
- Harald Jansen, then head of administration
- Design
- Düsseldorf architect Horst Tenten
- Named after
- Arnold Janssen (1837–1909), Steyler missionary and saint
- Monument
- curved brick gable facing Mülhauser Straße, the last remnant of the old mortuary (monument no. 170)
- Interior
- bust of Arnold Janssen by the architect's daughter
- Purpose
- a place of rest, devotion and contemplation for the Stift
Who Was Arnold Janssen
Arnold Janssen was born in Goch in 1837 and died in Steyl in 1909. He founded the Steyler Missionswerk, the Society of the Divine Word. During his years in Kempen from 1873 to 1875 he served as rector of the Ursulines, who cared for the sick and the weak in Kempen, and he lived very close to today's chapel. On 5 October 2003 he was canonised by Pope John Paul II. The chapel was created in his honour and to commemorate his work — the idea came from the then provost Dr Josef Reuter.
Building the Chapel in 1995
The devotional ensemble was built in 1995 by the Kempen construction firm Jakob Heckmann under the direction of Hans Heckmann and donated by the company; the project was set in motion by Harald Jansen, then head of administration. The design was provided by the Düsseldorf architect Horst Tenten. Inside stands a bust of Arnold Janssen, created by the architect's daughter. Today the chapel serves residents, staff and relatives of the Stift as a place of rest, devotion and contemplation — also in connection with the dementia garden located there.
The Old Mortuary
The curved brick gable facing Mülhauser Straße is a protected monument and the last surviving remnant of the former mortuary of the old Ursuline convent. In the official monument list the façade is recorded as the „Front der alten Leichenhalle" (front of the old mortuary) under monument no. 170 (construction period 1868–69, listed on 1 October 1991): a brick entrance gate with a curved gable and door frame. It preserves a reference to the Ursuline convent, which was rebuilt in the early 1920s and has since been demolished. The old hospital building, whose right wing was the former Ursuline convent, was constructed in 1868–1869.
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Official website (retrieved 2026-07-15)
- openstreetmap.org (retrieved 2026-07-06)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-07-08)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-07-08
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