Welcome to the Iben Castle and Templar chapel

Hidden in the middle of a farm is one of the oldest Gothic church buildings in Germany: the Iben Castle and Templar chapel.
Only the choir remains, but it is characterised by its extremely high-quality architecture and fine stone carvings. These works belong to the circle of the so-called ‘Naumburger Meister’, who is considered one of the best sculptors of the 13th century.

Opening hours
Current opening hours can be found here

Admission is free.

Adress
Burg- und Templerkapelle Iben
55546 Fürfeld

__

The Iben Castle and Templar chapel is a historical site of the Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz (General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland‑Palatinate), www.gdke.rlp.de.

Regrettably, as it is a historic site, there is no disabled access to Iben Castle and Templar chapel. Thank you for your understanding.

Hidden in the middle of a farm is one of the oldest Gothic church buildings in Germany: Iben Castle Chapel was at the centre of a medieval moated castle built by the Knights Templar, which is first documented as the seat of a commandery (Komturei) in 1258. The order established an administrative centre here in the Appelbach Valley, which consisted of the castle with a chapel, three courtyards and a mill.
After the dissolution of the order, the castle passed to the Raugrafen von Altenbamberg in 1312. It began to be used for agricultural purposes in the 18th century. The chapel was profaned in 1812 and the nave was demolished in 1832. The Grand Duchy of Hesse acquired the remaining choir in 1875. In 1946, it became the property of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and has been maintained by the State Administration since 1949.
The choir chapels of Reims Cathedral in France are thought to have modelled on the shape of the choir in Iben. The architectural sculpture, especially that of the capitals in the interior of the Iben choir, is attributed to the so-called “Naumburg Master“.