Mor Barsaumo

Mor Barsaumo is a Syriac Orthodox church built from red brick in Pohlheim, Germany, featuring five arched stained glass windows on each side and topped with a hexagonal lantern crowned by a four-sided clover cross. The building serves the local Aramaic Christian community, accommodating roughly 250 families who gather here for worship.

Aramaic Christians arrived in Pohlheim during the 1960s after leaving Turkey due to religious persecution. The congregation built its own place of worship, which opened as this church in 1999.

The interior displays colors and decorations that follow Eastern traditions and customs. An iconostasis wall sets apart the raised altar space, built from white Tur Abdin limestone, marking the separation between the congregation and the sacred area.

Services are held in both German and Aramaic, allowing visitors to experience two different language traditions. Checking ahead about which language will be used during your visit helps you plan accordingly.

The church bell has traveled through the community's history, originally coming from the old church at Watzenborn-Steinberg where the congregation first gathered. This bell bridges the community's early worship space with their current purpose-built home.