Auenkirche, Gothic Revival church in Wilmersdorf, Germany.
Auenkirche is a three-aisled red brick hall church built 1895–1897 to designs by Max Spitta in the Gothic Revival style of Berlin historicism. Its central tower rises 63.15 m to a pointed five-knob spire with a cross; the nave is 46 m long, 24 m wide and 25 m high. Inside, pointed arches carry a ribbed vault, with a tall apse holding three stained-glass windows above a plain altar.
The present Auenkirche was built from 1895 to 1897 to designs by Max Spitta in the Gothic Revival style of Berlin historicism. It is the third stone church on the Wilmersdorf village green: a medieval church there burned in 1766, and its 1772 stone successor was demolished despite local objection, mainly because the congregation had grown so large. War damage in 1943 forced services into the Old Lutheran church Zum Heiligen Kreuz until repairs were made.
The name Auenkirche comes from the Wilhelmsaue, the former village green where the church stands. Because every other Wilmersdorf parish grew out of this one, it is called the Protestant mother church of Wilmersdorf. The lily coat of arms on the portal walls and the apse floor tiles recalls the legend of a knight von Wilmerstorf who saved King Louis IX at Damiette.
The building is located in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and maintains regular opening hours for visitors to access. It is known for hosting regular musical performances such as midday concerts that draw attendees from across the surrounding area.
The lily coat of arms on the portal walls and the altar floor tiles refers to a legend: a knight "von Wilmerstorf" is said to have saved King Louis IX's life at the Battle of Damietta in Egypt between 1248 and 1254, receiving the king's shield with three lilies as a reward. The Wilmersdorf knightly family, resident there since the 16th century, did bear the lily arms.
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