How about a church designed to symbolize Christ’s sacrifice? That’s St. Aegidius in Buschdorf. This Catholic parish church is part of the St. Thomas Morus parish. Its design comes from architect Johannes Krahn. It was one of his last projects. The church was built between 1978 and 1980.
St. Aegidius replaced the old Aegidius Chapel as the parish church. The chapel is now called Old St. Aegidius. Buschdorf was likely part of the Graurheindorf parish in 1131. It became its own parish in 1977. In 2002, the church joined the Bonner Nordwesten parish association. In 2012, St. Aegidius and seven other parishes formed St. Thomas Morus.
An architectural competition for a new church took place in 1974. Hausen-Rave won it. However, Johannes Krahn’s design from 1974 was also chosen. Krahn died that year. In 1977, empty buildings of the Buschdorf monastery were torn down. This made room for the new church and parish center. A Frankfurt architectural firm built the church from 1978 to 1980. Krahn’s son also helped. Bishop Josef Plöger consecrated the church on March 30, 1980.
The church’s architecture is striking inside and out. The floor plan is like an organic cross. It symbolizes Christ’s death. All four outer walls curve inward. This creates a unique sense of space. The massive concrete walls are covered with broken stones inside and out. Horizontal and vertical windows make the walls look delicate. They also bring light and space inside. The oval church tower has a flat roof. It stands at one of the building’s four corners.
Sculptor Sepp Hürten created the interior in 1980. He used bronze and stone. His work includes the altar cross with images of Christ’s death and resurrection. Also, there is the altar, the tabernacle on a stele, and the baptismal font. Hürten also made 14 Stations of the Cross reliefs. A five-armed Marian chandelier has a rose design. A wooden Pietà from the 20th century came from the old Aegidius Chapel. In 1986, Hürten created the bronze entrance portal. It features reliefs of the Apostles’ Creed.
The organ was built in 1981 by Klais from Bonn. Its unusual hexagonal tower fits the room’s structure. The organ has two manuals and 22 registers. Hans Gerd Klais designed it. Markus Karas, the organist of the Bonn Minster, played at St. Aegidius in 2006. This celebrated the organ’s 25th anniversary.
The bells were made by Rincker in Sinn in 1979. The four bells are dedicated to the Evangelists. They ring in the tones gis1, ais1, cis2, and dis2.
A copy of a Roman Matron stone stands near the church. The original was found nearby in 1964. It is now in the Rheinische Landesmuseum. A historic basalt lava boundary stone with Bonn’s coat of arms from 1549 also stands on the church square.
St. Aegidius, the church’s patron saint, was a hermit. He founded the monastery of St. Gilles. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Aegidius was born in Athens around 640. Legend says he lived as a hermit in Provence. A deer fed him with her milk. King Wamba shot Aegidius with an arrow during a hunt. To make up for it, the king let Aegidius found a monastery. Aegidius created the Benedictine Abbey of St.-Gilles in 680. He led it until his death. St. Aegidius is a place where art, faith, and history meet.