Rear of the Dechanei with community center, which at times housed the St. Goar cinema, around 1930
The simple building with the sandstone archway is the oldest surviving house in St. Goar, it was Built in 1137. After the St. Goar monastery was converted into a choir monastery, housing had to be created. The Dechanei was built as the residence of the choir monastery’s abbot, the head of the choir monastery.
During the Reformation, the choir master’s foundation was gradually dissolved. Later, pastors from the Evangelical Church congregation moved into the building in place of the dean. However, the building has always retained the name Dechanei. In 1965, it was extensively renovated and is now used as a community center. The front side featured the inscription in Latin: „To rest, not to live, God has given us a place of refuge here.“
Until the 1960s of the 20th century, the building behind the Dechanei was home to Evangelical community hall, in which Theater played and at times even the St. Goar Cinema It was housed there. Directly next to it, a house built in 1764 as a poorhouse for the Evangelical Friars, which is now used as a residential building.