Imagine stepping back in time to a Beuel neighborhood taking shape. It was a time when industry was booming. Immigrants from all over. This is St. Paulus-Kirche, a testament to faith and architectural vision.
St. Paulus-Kirche stands as more than just a building. It represents community, art, and history. Its story is woven into Beuel-Ost.
In 1868, the Rheinische Jutespinnerei began operating in Beuel. Beuel expanded eastward. Many foreigners settled here. Especially Italians. Believers were cared for by St. Peter Vilich. Later, from 1924, by St. Josef Beuel.
The first groundbreaking for St. Paulus-Kirche was on March 19, 1957. The well-known Cologne architect Dominikus Böhm designed it. He lived from 1880 to 1955. His son Gottfried took over the execution. The building ensemble fits well into the suburban industrial landscape. The church took over the patronage of Saint Paul. It came from the former parish church of Vilich. That church was destroyed in 1765. The first Holy Mass took place on September 7, 1958.
Dominikus Böhm, a renowned Cologne architect, designed St. Paulus-Kirche. This was his last work. He created the plans in 1955. His son Gottfried Böhm oversaw the construction. The church’s design broke ground.
St. Paulus-Kirche is set back from the busy street. It features a gable roof. The parish house connects to the nave at an angle away from the street. The separate bell tower aligns with the parish house. Reinhard Stapper, an architect from Bonn, later added the parish center. He attached it to the tower.
St. Paulus-Kirche presents a block-like structure. Only a few individual forms loosen it up. These are the rectangular windows under the eaves. The windows of the vestibule and in the side aisle. Also, the rose window on the south side. The rosette is a stylistic element of Gothic architecture.
Inside St. Paulus-Kirche, the hall is spanned by a slightly vaulted coffered ceiling. The nave opens to the lower side aisle along its full length. The stage-like elevated choir is characteristic. Also the one-sided lighting of the altar area. This is through a high window. And the large, unstructured wall surfaces.
The baptismal font stands before the pulpit in the nave. A Marian altar is in the side aisle. The glass windows in the vestibule and side aisle depict saints. Walter Prinz from Cologne created the terracotta sculpture of the Crucified. It was placed on the altar wall in 1998.
The tower houses three bells. The Paulus bell was cast in 1958. The Glockengießerei Mabilon in Saarburg made it. It has a diameter of 980 mm and a weight of 580 kg. Its strike tone is as1-4. The Maria bell also dates to 1958. It has a diameter of 880 mm and weighs 400 kg. Its strike tone is b1-4. The Adelheid bell is the smallest. It has a diameter of 740 mm and a weight of 240 kg. Its strike tone is des2-4.
St. Paulus-Kirche received a two-manual organ in 1960. It had 22 registers on electric slider chests. The organ construction company Ernst Seifert from Bergisch Gladbach built it. The installation of three more registers was prepared. The instrument was dismantled in 1998. The Merten company reused the pipes in 2000. They went into a technical new building in the cathedral of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The current organ comes from the Verschueren company in the Netherlands. This organ was originally built in 1966. It was Opus 665 for the parish church St. Petrus Canisius in Düsseldorf-Unterbilk. That church was deconsecrated in 1998 and demolished in 1999. The instrument has mechanical slider chests with electrical register action.
Since 2001, the parish of St. Paulus has merged with St. Josef in Beuel. They formed the parish of St. Josef and Paulus. Regular services and devotions take place in St. Paulus-Kirche. Also events of the Forum Paulskirche. And services of the Anglican community.
As you stand here, consider the layers of history. Dominikus Böhm’s final masterpiece. A place of worship. Community hub. St. Paulus-Kirche continues to resonate. It connects the past with the present.