Is it just me, or does this building exude a sense of calm? This is St. Hedwig. It is a Catholic church in Cologne. St. Hedwig stands freely within a group of parish buildings. It has a simple rectangular design.
Let’s delve into the story of St. Hedwig. The need for another church arose due to an influx of war veterans. People displaced from their homes moved to the parish of St. Johann Baptist in Höhenhaus. The city and the Catholic building association DEWOG further developed the district. The Archdiocese of Cologne planned another parish foundation in the early 1960s. Hedwig of Andechs was chosen as the patron saint of the parish. This was intended to appeal to new citizens. Many new citizens came from Silesia.
Emil Steffann received the commission for the design planning. The foundation stone was laid in 1966. The community began using the church for liturgical purposes on June 29, 1967. This happened even before its official consecration. The official consecration took place on October 18, 1969. St. Hedwig received the Cologne Architecture Prize in 1967. This was the founding year of the prize. The design model of the church is kept in the model collection. It is part of the German Architecture Museum.
St. Hedwig is a plain rectangular building. It is made of exposed natural stone. Some say the building materials were stones recovered from ruins. It features a large pyramid roof. Few niche-like arched windows open to the outside. Three walls are structured. This is achieved by three axes of projecting stone pillars each. A golden pine cone sits on top of the roof pyramid.
The semi-dark interior opens through a single-story extension on the north side. This extension houses the atrium. It also houses a weekday chapel and a sacristy. From there, you can enter a vestibule. Arcades open up the square church space. The interior walls are also structured by pilaster strips. Above these, beams support the open barn-like wooden roof. On the chancel wall, a single central niche opens. It is located between the wall pillars. This marks the altar area. The altar area rises freely in the room via two steps.
Klaus Balke created the pine cone on the roof. A wooden sculpture of the church’s patron saint is here. Its base contains relics of the saint. It also has a stone from the Trebnitz Monastery. These were gifts from a sister of the order. She had fled from Trzebnica to the West after the Second World War. A 24-flame chandelier hangs centrally in the church. Jakob Overzier created it. It has a diameter of eleven meters. The altar cross combines elements. It has the corpus of a former South Tyrolean wayside cross. It also has a new colored cross by Jochem Pechau. This cross is in the form of a tree of life. A stone Madonna is built into the weekday chapel. The first pastor of St. Hedwig brought it from Spain.
The three-manual organ on the south wall dates back to 1954. Paul Ott created it. Fischer & Krämer Orgelbau expanded it in 1996. It has 18 stops. The bell is attached to the outside of the building. There is no bell tower. Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock cast the bell in 1967. Its strike tone is e2.
St. Hedwig reminds us of the strength found in simplicity. It also reminds us of community spirit. It is a place where faith and history intertwine.