Bern
Wesley-Kapelle
Building data
Denomination | Evangelical Methodist
Building type | Church
Year of construction | 1907
Architect | Brändli, Albert
Town, canton | Bern, BE
Street address | Allmendstrasse 24
GPS | 46.959466, 7.451890
Google Maps | Swisstopo
Reuse
Year of reuse | 1998
Ownership | Sale
Building interventions | Transformation
Form of use | Third-party use
Type of use | Culture
Brief information | Used as ‘La Capella’, a theatre and concert venue.
Further information | see below
Status of information
Entry created | 2015/08
Entry last updated | 2017/08
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Further information
The Methodist chapel in the Breitenrain district of Bern was built in 1907 by the architect Albert Brändli, originally from Burgdorf, in the regional style. Following its sale to Christoph Hoigné in 1998, it has since been used as a theatre and concert venue called ‘La Capella’. A flat has been fitted out in the attic. Christoph Hoigné: ‘It was by chance that I learnt the church was for sale. And as I’m passionate about song and cabaret, the idea quickly occurred to me to transform the church into a performance venue, especially as, at the time, Bern’s arts scene lacked medium-sized venues. Apart from installing the stage, the toilets and the interval bar, we’ve left virtually nothing of the building’s original structure untouched. On the contrary: the green colour and the parquet flooring have been restored to their original state from 1907, when the chapel was built. I love the way the Art Deco style inside blends with the regional style on the outside. Acoustically, the hall is ideally suited to concerts and theatrical performances: words and sounds carry to the furthest corners from the gallery, even without amplification. As the chapel is situated in the heart of a residential neighbourhood, we had soundproof glazing fitted to all the windows from the outside. I don’t know exactly what it was, but this chapel had a special atmosphere about it for me. I’ve also noticed that as soon as people enter the hall, they become contemplative and calm, even going so far whispering. It seems that part of this chapel’s history still lingers in the air in some way. That does not mean, however, that there isn’t often a lively atmosphere: when all 180 seats are taken, the space can sometimes feel cramped and noisy.”