St. Matthias, Parish church in Krefeld, Germany.
St. Matthias is a neo-Gothic parish church in Krefeld-Hohenbudberg, built of pale beige stone. A tall square tower with a steep pyramidal roof and cross finial stands at the left, while the main body extends to the right under a dark grey hipped roof. The central facade has a tall pointed-arch window with tracery, and a polygonal apse with tall lancet windows sits on the right. A cemetery with graves and flower beds lies in front.
St. Matthias was first documented in 1150 as a three-aisled basilica with a three-storey tower, under the patronage of Werden Abbey. The church was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style to plans by Vincenz Statz between 1852 and 1854, keeping the 12th-century Romanesque tower; the new building was consecrated on 27 August 1854. Bombing on 9 February 1945 severely damaged it, and reconstruction was completed in 1949.
The parish takes its name from the apostle Matthias. Its carved altars came from Westphalia: the high altar's shrine from Lippstadt in 1854, the north altar's panels painted in 1855 by Andreas Müller of the Düsseldorf school, and the south altar acquired in Meinerzhagen in 1852. A late-Romanesque crucifix from about 1250 is also kept here.
The church stands in Hohenbudberg am Rhein, a district of Krefeld, with the adjoining cemetery offering a view of the Rhine. The neo-Gothic building was consecrated on 27 August 1854 and rebuilt after severe bomb damage on 9 February 1945, with reconstruction finished in 1949. Visitors should check the parish's current opening times before setting out.
The late Romanesque crucifix from around 1250 came to Hohenbudberg from Westphalia, as did the shrine of the north side altar, made in the early 16th century. The high altar shrine, carved in the third quarter of the 15th century, was transferred here in 1854 from the collegiate church in Lippstadt.
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