The small church, built in the mid-1860s, completed in 1868 and consecrated on 31 May 1870, stands where the former village of Urwahlen once stood: on a hill slightly below the plateau of the Wahlener Platte. During the Thirty Years' War (1616 to 1648), Urwahlen was devastated by Swedish-French troops. The rest of the population sought shelter in the forest and marshland around today's church and settled there.
The Urwahlen chapel was built in 1868 on the ruins of the former chapel. A visitation report from 1739 noted that "only the choir and tower of the church in Urwahlen are still standing" and that it was falling into disrepair. Almost all the craftsmen from Wahlen lent a hand with the reconstruction.
There are several spiritual programmes in the Urwahlen chapel throughout the year. Church services, weddings, devotions and hours of worship are held there. Especially in the summer months, people come to this place to pray, even from villages further away. The annual procession from the Wahlen church of St. Helena to St. Mark's Chapel on St. Mark's Day, 25 April, has been a long-standing custom since it was built. A late-night service is also held in the chapel at Christmas. "I used to attend it with my sons when they were little boys," says Marina Schwahn. Almost as characteristic as the chapel itself are the two mighty trees right next to it, which protect the small place of worship from wind and weather.
Regardless of its spiritual significance, St Mark's Chapel is an unmissable landmark on the Wahlener Platte. From the chapel, there is a beautiful view of the present-day village of Wahlen, situated below the chapel in the valley hollow.
