St. Joseph's Church, Cultural property in Basel, Switzerland.
St. Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Matthäus quarter of Basel, built in the neo-Baroque style between 1900 and 1902 by architect August Hardegger. Its wide three-aisle hall, originally seating 1400, makes it the largest Catholic church in Basel. The stained glass is by Friedrich Berbig, and the 1926 choir altar by August Wanner shows two wall paintings of Joseph in Egypt.
St. Joseph's Church was built between 1900 and 1902 by the St. Gallen architect August Hardegger as a parish church for the rapidly growing Catholic population of Kleinbasel's workers' quarters. Hardegger had also planned a variant with a dome, but the version with a wide three-aisled hall was executed. In 1996 the building was added to the city of Basel's monument list, following a December 1994 municipal law and agreement with the owner.
The church is dedicated to Joseph of the Old Testament, not to Saint Joseph the carpenter; the dedication refers to the patriarch whose story is told in the Book of Genesis. Its neo-baroque design is unusual in Basel, a city shaped by the Reformed tradition, and the building was erected as a parish church for the growing Catholic population of the Kleinbasel workers' quarters.
St. Joseph's Church stands in the Matthäus-Quartier of Kleinbasel, immediately beside the Reformed Matthäuskirche, at coordinates 47.56980, 7.59062. The two churches face each other across the same block, so both can be seen in one stop. The interior was renovated in 1988 and the façade in 1997.
August Hardegger first planned the church with a dome; the built version instead has a wide three-aisle hall. The interior was renovated in 1988 and the facade in 1997, and the building entered Basel's monument list in 1996 under a cantonal law of December 1994.
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