St. Christophorus-Kirche, Parish church in Westerland, Germany.
St. Christophorus-Kirche is a Roman Catholic parish church built from 1997 to 1999 to plans by Dieter Georg Baumewerd. Four semi-oval brick shells form the building: the outer pair are half-height with round porthole windows, the inner pair have tall vertical windows above and pillar openings below, giving the exterior the look of a two-storey ship's hull and the interior three aisles. The elliptical room ends in two dark-blue conches and centres on altar and ambo.
Architect Dieter G. Baumewerd designed the building, which opened in 1999 on the island of Sylt. The church emerged during a period when Westerland was developing as a modern resort town and needed contemporary religious facilities for its growing residents.
The church is dedicated to Saint Christopher, patron saint of travellers, a fitting choice for a resort on Sylt. The four bells, cast in 1959 by Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling in Heidelberg, were carried over from the previous church, as were Emil Wachter's coloured round windows. The organ by Jehmlich of Dresden was consecrated on 13 April 2009 by Archbishop Werner Thissen.
The church stands at the southern edge of Westerland, near the coordinates 54.9056, 8.3014, a short walk from the town centre. The free-standing bell tower has a triangular ground plan and is offset sideways from the axis of the nave, so look for it separately from the main brick shells. The entrance area is reached past the notice board at the base of the curved facade.
The four bells in the free-standing triangular tower were cast in 1959 by Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling of Heidelberg and hang in a wooden bell frame; they are likely Schilling's northernmost peal in Germany. The coloured glazing of the round windows by Emil Wachter was also taken over from the 1957 predecessor church.
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