The weathered grey stone whispers tales of centuries. This is Kapelle Devese. A simple chapel it may seem yet its history is rich and complex. Built likely in the late Middle Ages it served the villagers of Devese as a fortified chapel. Imagine the fear during the Hildesheim Stiftsfehde from 1519 to 1523. Devese burned to the ground. The original Kapelle Devese likely perished in the flames. Only the north wall’s supporting stones remain as silent witnesses. Records of the chapel’s founding were lost in a church fire in Ronnenberg a devastating blow to its history.
The oldest record of Kapelle Devese is a church visitation protocol from 1543. This was when the Reformation was introduced in the Principality of Calenberg. It was then a part of the Ronnenberg Michaeliskirche. It is likely that the Thirty Years’ War caused further damage. By the end of the 17th century the ruins were rebuilt. Simple materials were used: oak half-timbering on a rubble stone base. Six full farms encircled the chapel forming a protective ring.
The village school housed within Kapelle Devese took on additional responsibilities. The teacher oversaw the Devese cemetery established in 1819. Until 1911 he even performed burials. A priest from Ronnenberg conducted other church services. By 1865 the Kapelle Devese needed repairs. A legacy of 200 thalers intended for renovations was lost to inflation. In 1909 a church council planned a new building but disagreements with Hanover building experts over whether repairs sufficed delayed progress. A major repair costing 797.90 Reichsmarks finally occurred in 1929 followed by another in 1953.
By 1976 the Kapelle Devese faced collapse. Extensive renovations were undertaken between 1977 and 1978. The damaged oak frame was removed and replaced down to the stone base. Today its simple unadorned character shines. Dark half-timbering contrasts with the white infill beneath the red tile roof. A small wooden turret serves again as a bell tower. Its position shifted during the 1978 renovations.
The current bell cast in 1643 by Ludolf Siegfriedt is still used. Its inscription reads “die gemeine Defess hat die Glocken zur Ehre Gottes gisen lassen 1643 Ludolf Siefriet me ficit”. The bronze bell weighing about 60 kilograms was repaired in 2009. Thin spots were welded a softer clapper replaced and a wooden yoke replaced the old steel one. Each day it rings at 7 12 and 6 pm. A positive organ built in 1970 by Matthias Wunderlich replaced an old harmonium. A heavy sandstone slab that once served as a doorstep now acts as an altar. A nearby information panel tells a small piece of the rich history of Kapelle Devese. Its story continues.