Perched on the cliffs of Lemböte, located at a naturally well-protected harbour called Västerhamnen or Kapellviken, you will find the medieval chapel of Lemböte Kapell. The chapel is located on the old sailing route that is said to have run from Utklippan in Blekinge in what was then Denmark to Tallinn in Estonia. Mortar samples taken from the chapel suggest that it dates from the late 13th century or around 1370. Inside, the building consists of only one room with an altar and some wooden benches.
After the Reformation (1517 - 1648), the chapel was closed and began to deteriorate. It took until the 1880s before restoration work began under the direction of the architect Allan Schulman. Since then, the chapel has been restored several times and is now used for both worship and concerts.
Medieval coin hoard
In October 1840, a coin hoard was found next to the eastern wall of the chancel containing 270 coins dating from the same period as the chapel is thought to have been built. These coins have partially disappeared to unknown fates, but additional coins were later found on the site. Of these, nearly 273, 12 coins have been dated to the first half of the 13th century, 5 coins to the second half of the 13th century and 14 to the 14th century. Since the earliest coins date from the earlier half of the 13th century, it is possible to interpret the oldest coins as artefacts from an older chapel on the site.
Lemböte chapel is located about 13 km from Mariehamn, so it is at a convenient distance for packing the picnic basket and going on a day trip by bike.
Address: Kapellstigen 14-104, 22610 Lemland
