Beneath the octagonal cupola, a tale of transformation awaits within the walls of the Dominikanerkirche. This church stands in the heart of Münster. It is near the Lambertikirche on Salzstraße. Let’s step inside and uncover its secrets.
The Dominikanerkirche began as part of a Dominican monastery. Only a wall fragment remains of the original monastery. It adjoins the church’s sandstone facade. Bernhard III von Droste-Hülshoff supported the church. He sold land from his Münsteraner Stadthof.
Architect Lambert Friedrich Corfey designed the church. Construction spanned from 1705 to 1725. In 1728, after its interior was complete, the church was consecrated. It was dedicated to Saint Joseph. It served as the Dominican convent church until the early 19th century.
The Dominikanerkirche faced significant changes during secularization. In 1811, the Dominican monastery was dissolved. The state, then Prussia, took ownership of the monastery complex. From 1826, the church served military purposes. Münster acquired the church in 1880. By 1889, it became a school church for the city’s Realgymnasium. This is now the Ratsgymnasium.
World War II caused extensive destruction. Reconstruction lasted until 1974. The cupola was not rebuilt until 1961. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia erected an administrative building. It was meant to connect to the monastery’s sandstone gable. A planned road breakthrough never happened. The monastery gable remained a ruin.
Later, the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Münster managed the church. The Catholic university community used it for Sunday services. Klaus Müller served as Rector Ecclesiae. Bishop Stefan Zekorn deconsecrated the church on November 12, 2017. The university community now holds services in St. Ludgeri Church.
In 2018, Gerhard Richter’s “Two Gray Double Mirrors for a Pendulum” was installed. This artwork features a Foucault pendulum. A 48-kilogram brass sphere hangs from a 29-meter cable. A magnetic field sets the pendulum in motion. It swings above a plate divided into twelve sections. The Earth’s rotation causes the plate to rotate under the pendulum in about 30 hours. Mirrors surround the artwork. They reflect the pendulum and viewers, integrating them into the piece. The artwork cost 650,000 euros.
The Dominikanerkirche features an elevated nave, a transept, and two lower side aisles. The nave and transept reach 15.7 meters high. The nave is 33 meters long. The church, including the chancel, is about 42 meters long. The baroque cupola above the crossing is round inside. It measures about 9 meters in diameter. Outside, it is octagonal and about 29 meters high. Including the cupola lantern, it reaches 34 meters. The two towers are equally tall.
The church’s sandstone facade has two stories. Pilasters provide restrained articulation. A projecting aedicule portal with Doric columns dominates the central axis. Statues of Dominican and Thomas Aquinas stand in niches beside the portal.
After the war, the altar island was moved under the cupola. The original chancel screen was rebuilt. An opening allows access to the church. The chancel served as a sacrament chapel. It houses a baroque high altar from 1699. It was originally built for the Gaukirche in Paderborn. It was acquired in 1903 for the Dominikanerkirche and installed in 1904. It was restored in 2021.
The Dominikanerkirche holds the epitaph for its architect, Lambert Friedrich Corfey. He was buried in the crypt beneath the church in 1733. Johann Conrad Schlaun designed the epitaph.
An organ built in 1958 by Paul Ott was installed in the Dominikanerkirche between 1975 and 2018. In 2018, the organ was removed to better showcase Richter’s work.
Three bells reside in the north tower. Two bells date from 1977. A historical bell dates from 1670.
The Dominikanerkirche today embodies a fusion of history and art. It invites contemplation and appreciation. Its walls echo with stories of faith, destruction, and renewal. As you leave, consider the layers of time. They have shaped this remarkable place.