Heilig Kreuz

Did you ever hear of a church built because a chapel became too small? Right here in Essen, the Heilig Kreuz church has such a story. The Franciscan monks of the Saxonia province arrived in 1903. They established a monastery and a small chapel. The chapel quickly overflowed with worshippers. This prompted the construction of the Heilig Kreuz church. The foundation stone was laid in 1910. The church was completed in 1911, showcasing Neo-Romanesque decorative elements constructed from ashlar masonry. The Heilig Kreuz church stood proudly beside the monastery. A year later, the altar, featuring the Sorrowful Mother, was installed. In 1915, Bishop Peter Joseph Lausberg consecrated the church. In 1931, Heilig Kreuz became its own parish. Tragedy struck during World War II. In 1943, an incendiary bomb pierced the church roof and ignited the organ. The entrance was destroyed in 1945. Services resumed in 1947 after provisional reconstruction. The organ loft and roof were repaired in 1948. The rebuilding was completed in 1949. A new organ was inaugurated in 1954. The altar and the newly established baptismal chapel were consecrated in 1956, featuring the baptismal font and tabernacle created by Cologne sculptor Heribert Calleen. Renovations continued with the wooden ceiling in 1971, new flooring, pews, and a new saddle roof in 1986. Originally, the Heilig Kreuz church had bells cast in 1911. These were lost in World War II. The current bronze bells, the Franziskus and Heilig Kreuz bells, were consecrated in 1966. Today, Heilig Kreuz church is part of the St. Gertrud parish. It was designated a historical landmark in 1993.