St. Joseph, Gothic Revival chapel in Mettlach, Germany

St. Joseph is a narrow Gothic Revival chapel of red sandstone with beige stone trim, four bays long with a three-sided choir and a steep slate roof. Its entrance facade carries a pointed-arch portal beneath a traceried window, and the interior is roofed by a blue vault with gold stars above a two-metre base of Mettlach ceramic tiles.

The building was originally constructed in Wallerfangen in 1864 and then dismantled and transported by barge down the Saar River to Mettlach in 1882. This move shows how much the church meant to the Villeroy & Boch factory and its workers.

The chapel holds a 15th-century Cretan icon, terracotta Stations of the Cross, and large statues of Mary and Joseph in the choir. Its blue vault is painted with gold stars above a two-metre tile base of Mettlach plates by Villeroy & Boch, sold across 19th-century Europe. Since spring 2024 a restored English Cousans choir organ with nine stops stands on the gallery, consecrated on 14 April 2024.

The building is accessible through the entrance of the adjacent hospital at Saaruferstraße 10, with parking available nearby. Visitors should note that they must pass through the hospital to reach the church.

The walls feature a two-meter-high base covered with specially designed ceramic tiles from the 19th century made by Villeroy & Boch. These tiles were produced using techniques that are no longer documented today.