“Can you imagine it?” asks a voice from the past. We stand before Heilige Familie in Nuremberg, a church with a layered history. It began as St. Josefs-Kirche, a neo-Romanesque building. Its foundation was laid in 1929. Rolf Behringer designed this hall church.
Construction progressed rapidly. By September 28, 1930, the church was consecrated. Its original design featured exposed brickwork. It included a long nave. A narrower, three-sided choir faced east. A church tower stood on the nave’s south side.
Years passed. In 1967 and 1968, changes came. Peter Leonhardt redesigned and expanded the nave westward. But the planned tower extension never happened.
A shift occurred in its identity. The church’s growing ties with the Deanery of Nuremberg led to a renaming. Another older parish was already named St. Josef there. To avoid confusion, St. Josefs-Kirche became Heilige Familie. The Holy Family church got its new name.
Inside Heilige Familie, observe the details. Four bells reside in the tower. On the north side, windows stretch to the floor. A weekday church sits on the south side.
The altar is deliberately close to the congregation. Behind it, in the apse, there is a wooden sculpture from 1957. A late-Gothic-style image of Mary adorns the right wall of the nave. A crucifix from late 17th-century Austria dominates the southern wall.
An organ sits on a gallery at the west end. Stations of the Cross have decorated the nave since February 2011. Also note that a community center was added in 1997 and 1998. Walter Mixa consecrated it.
Heilige Familie stands as a testament to time. It reflects changing needs. It embodies faith in the Reichelsdorf district of Nuremberg. As you leave, consider the layers of history within these walls.