A Striking Metamorphosis

A church is thoughtfully transformed into a columbarium, striking a delicate balance between reverence and purpose

The Catholic Church of St. Mary's Visitation in Alsdorf-Schaufenberg, constructed between 1933 and 1935 by Aachen architects Ferdinand Goebbels and Franz Dominick in the Brick Expressionist style, could no longer function as a parish church and needed a new purpose. ZHAC Zweering Helmus Architektur + Consulting, the Aachen firm that won the architectural competition, introduced a canopy-like sculptural element beneath the vault—one that establishes a serene yet transcendent space while simultaneously dividing the nave into distinct areas: a chapel and a Way of the Cross.

The redesign's most striking feature is how it recalibrates the church's spatial proportions. A delicate canopy sculpture—composed of slender metal profiles and interconnected brass chains—is set within the existing architecture, creating an inner chapel accommodating roughly 100 seats, with a baptismal font positioned at its entrance. The urn walls, rendered in deep anthracite and holding 1,845 compartments sealed with solid brass plates, encircle this new chapel in measured rhythm with the church's structural bays, interspersed with seating for quiet reflection and remembrance. From the shadowed entry, the eye moves into the luminous single-nave sanctuary, where the building's original architectural clarity remains undiminished. The preserved altar—relocated slightly forward—becomes the focal point, framed by a brass-toned panel that holds both the original cross and a new water feature. Above the altar, at choir level, a dedicated space serves pastoral counseling for children and young people, while the former baptistery now accommodates office and consultation areas. The regional bluestone flooring has been carefully preserved throughout, and the original church pews have been restored for larger services. The celebrated stained glass windows by Ludwig Schaffrath, created in the 1950s, continue to animate the space with their kaleidoscopic light, constantly shifting with the hours of the day—an effect now subtly enhanced by an integrated lighting system that adjusts the ambiance from dawn to dusk.

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