St. Agnes (Berlin)

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St. Agnes Church
Church and community center in Kreuzberg

Church and community center in Kreuzberg
Construction year: 1964-1967
Architect : Werner Düttmann (original design and execution)

Brandlhuber + Emde, Schneider (rededication and transformation)

Riegler Riewe Architects (realization of the church gallery)

one to nine architects (realization of the community center)

Client: Parish

Johann König (rededication and transformation)

Location: 52 ° 30 '2.9 "  N , 13 ° 24' 3.6"  E Coordinates: 52 ° 30 '2.9 "  N , 13 ° 24' 3.6"  E
Address: Alexandrinenstrasse 118
Berlin-Kreuzberg
Berlin , Germany
Purpose: catholic (formerly) art gallery

The St. Agnes Church is a former Catholic church building in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin , which - as a typical example of architectural brutalism - was built according to plans by Werner Düttmann and was completed in 1967. Catholic services have not been held here since 2004, but the building was initially rented to the Protestant Free Church in the geographical center of Berlin (Cross Continental Believers, City Church ). At the end of 2011, the St. Agnes real estate and management company bought the building ensemble and then leased it to the Berlin gallery owner Johann König . By May 2015, the building was rebuilt according to plans by the Berlin architects Brandlhuber + Emde, Burlon and Riegler Riewe Architekten. The former church now serves König as a gallery building, while the old community center has been used by other tenants since 2013.

Building ensemble

Street front of the church
The church interior with side window slots and light strips in the roof

The church was built between 1965 and 1967 based on a design by the architect Werner Düttmann . The cuboid building complex includes a church with sacristy , rectory, an intermediate courtyard and parish hall. The bell tower, attached corner to corner to the structure, looks like a free-standing campanile from the street side . It is made of solid concrete and has a square base. The simply cubic church interior receives its light from two side window slots and from light strips in the roof. The high plastered walls rest on recycled bricks from former neighboring buildings. After the church was closed, the organ was moved to the St. Bonifatius Church .

The church, which was consecrated until the profanation of St. Agnes , still bears her name.

Re-uses

The St. Agnes Church originally belonged to the Catholic community, which released the building for rent in September 2004 for financial reasons; the number of parishioners had dropped dramatically. Some furnishings from the church interior, such as the altar and pews, have been set up in the St. Boniface Church. Because the money for the maintenance or renovation of the building was missing, construction experts saw the preservation of the church ensemble at risk. In 2005 the Berlin State Monument Council included the St. Agnes Church together with eight other churches in a list of suggestions for new architectural monuments. Between 2005 and 2011 there was an interim use by the City Church Berlin, led by the free church preacher Volkhard Spitzer . As a result of the abandonment of the use of the building ensemble by the Catholic Church, new usage concepts were developed on behalf of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg District Council , which should lead to a structural renovation of the church building and the parish hall. However, by the end of 2011 none of these usage concepts could be successfully implemented.

After the gallery owner Johann König, who had been running an art gallery in downtown Berlin (Dessauer Straße) for several years , was made aware of the ensemble by the architect Arno Brandlhuber , he leased the church building for 99 years in 2012.

König renovated the church for around three million euros, with the architecture of the building being preserved or even restored. After the ceiling was renewed and basements drained, the nave was converted into an art room. The 800 m² church space has served as an exhibition hall since May 2015. The existing daycare center will remain in place for the time being.

The transformation of the ensemble takes place according to plans of the Berlin architects Brandlhuber + Emde, Burlon and is carried out by Riegler Riewe Architekten (realization of the church gallery) and one to nine architects (realization of the community center).

Former parish of St. Agnes Church

The former congregation of St. Agnes Church was merged with those of St. Bonifatius Church and St. John's Basilica as the new St. Bonifatius congregation . This now consists of 9500 members.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : St. Agnes  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tobias Timm: Nothing is forever, everything is possible! . In: Zeit Online , February 13, 2013
  2. ^ Ingeborg Ruthe: St. Agnes in Kreuzberg becomes the domicile of young art. In: Berliner Zeitung , February 21, 2012
  3. ^ Gisela Williams: A Decommissioned Catholic Church in Berlin is Reborn as a Hub of Creativity . In: The New York Times , May 1, 2014, accessed December 1, 2014.
  4. ↑ Minutes of the LDA from July 2005 (PDF; 32 kB)
  5. ^ History of the City Church Berlin on the website of the parish
  6. ↑ Tobias Timm: A solid castle for art. The Berlin gallery owner Johann König wants to move his up-and-coming gallery into a church. In: Die Zeit No. 8 of February 16, 2012
  7. ↑ Public Architecture: The Art of Officials. In: Spiegel Online , March 19, 2013
  8. ↑ Projects in progress . At: rieglerriewe.co.at , accessed on November 12, 2014