St. Albert

Gazing upon St. Albert Church, did you notice its unique crown-like roof? This striking feature, a folded concrete structure, immediately sets St. Albert apart. St. Albert Church stands in Betzenhausen, a district of Freiburg im Breisgau. The church’s namesake, Albertus Magnus, was born in 1193. He was canonized in 1931 and declared the patron saint of natural sciences. Given Freiburg’s status as a university city and Albertus Magnus’s connection to it, his name was a fitting choice for this church near student housing. Construction of St. Albert began in 1967 with the laying of the foundation stone. It was consecrated in 1969. The design, by Erwin Heine of Freiburg’s municipal building department, was brought to life under the supervision of Rudolf Fessler. Interestingly, a planned church tower was omitted to make way for a kindergarten and community hall, which were consecrated in 1971. The circular central structure of St. Albert is enveloped by a single-story ambulatory with a hexagonal layout. The walls and ceiling of the star-shaped, crown-like folded rotunda are crafted from just two types of prefabricated concrete elements. These were assembled on site: sharply angled triangles forming the folded walls and folded quadrilaterals used for the roof. The resulting spaces between the triangular support elements create regular, open triangles, glazed at room height with blue-tinted glass. A reddish-tinted glass ribbon in the single-story ambulatory provides additional light from outside. These concrete glass glazings are the work of Tübingen artist Kurt Frank. A small lantern at the center of the folded roof serves as another external light source. Entering St. Albert, you’ll pass through one of two portals on the west side. These flank an interior baptistery. The altar sits on the east side of the circular church, with the pews arranged in a semicircle facing it. Bruno Knittel created the freestanding tabernacle, the ambo, and the altar candlesticks. Besides the Stations of the Cross, the only figurative adornment is a modern copy of the Altenmarkt Madonna, which dates back to around 1400. Since 1981, St. Albert has housed a 24-register, two-manual and pedal organ built by the Sandtner Organ Workshop (Opus 91), renovated in 2003.