The St. Rochus Chapel was first mentioned in official documents in 1646. It is located at the confluence of the Hohn and Grünstrasser streams on the southern edge of what is Kelmis today. The chapel and the surrounding farmsteads formed the original nucleus of this mining village. However, an altar stone discovered during restoration work on the chapel provided clues that the chapel may have been erected even earlier. The stone was subsequently embedded in the north wall of the chancel.
The chapel is dedicated to St. Rochus, who was revered as a patron saint who provided protection against the plague. Rochus, in respect of whom there is no verified historical source material, has never actually been canonised by the Catholic Church, but he was among the most popular of all saints for centuries. As the patron saint of plague victims, he was highly revered by the people during the time of the great mediaeval plague epidemics. In 2004, the chapel was completely restored, both inside and out.
