The bridge chapel in the land pier of the Drusus Bridge is probably the oldest preserved bridge chapel in Germany and the only underground one.
The bridge chapel in the Drusus Bridge, 2021. Unfortunately, we do not have a current photo of the interior of the chapel in the city archive, so in this case, it is from Wikipedia. Marion Halft: Early Romanesque bridge chapel under the Drusus Bridge, Bingen am Rhein. CC-BY SA 4.0. Carved from the slate rock of the right bank of the Nahe River, it lies on the axis of the Nahe Bridge 4.50 meters below the current road level. A semicircular vault "in neatly chiseled rubble stone masonry with ancient wide mortar joints" covers the space.
The indicated window openings of the approximately 3.8 x 3.8 m large chapel are now bricked up. Their existence could suggest that in earlier times it was not enclosed by the pier, but protruded from it or even stood outside the pier. The Darmstädter Zeitung reported in 1877 that a window once had "a tiny light inlet" that is now closed, and further descriptions from the last century mention a light shaft.
Finally, the important connecting piece of a heavily frequented overland road, built in 989 by Archbishop Willigis, was made impassable several times for military tactical reasons and repeatedly restored.
During the great destruction of Bingen by French troops in 1689 in the Nine Years' War (Palatine War of Succession), the Drusus Bridge once again became a military victim. Due to a lack of funds, it could only be temporarily repaired with wooden braces in 1699. It was not until 1772 that stone repairs were made, which lasted until 1945 when the Wehrmacht blew up one of the bridge arches to prevent the advance of American troops. Made passable by American pioneers in a makeshift manner, it was restored in 1951/52 and widened by 3 meters.
The bridge chapel once bordered directly on the cellar of the inn "Drusus Bridge." With the demolition of the building in July 1972 and the subsequent expansion of the intersection at the Drusus Bridge, a new access with an ante-room was created. Since May 31, 1979, the bridge chapel has been accessible again through guided tours and is open to everyone on "Open Monument Day."
Whether the bridge chapel is identical to the Bonifatius Chapel, as suggested in some older documents, has not yet been proven.
