St. Antonius & St. Shenouda-Kirche, Coptic church in Lichtenberg, Germany.
St. Antonius & St. Shenouda-Kirche is a red brick church with two slender towers topped by green spires and a smaller gable spire on the left. Its walls mix Rüdersdorf limestone at the base with Rathenow hand-struck brick above, and the interior is a two-aisle hall with net vaults and a four-sixths choir.
The building was constructed between 1903 and 1905 as a Protestant church called Glaubenskirche, serving that community for nearly a century. In 1998, the Coptic Orthodox Church took over the structure and repurposed it as a bishop's residence and spiritual center.
The church received the name Glaubenskirche at its consecration in 1905, performed by Empress Auguste Viktoria, who had donated the land and 80,000 marks. Since 1998 the Coptic Orthodox Church has used it as St. Antonius and St. Shenouda Church and is converting it into a bishop's seat and ecumenical centre.
The church sits at Roedeliusplatz in central Lichtenberg and is easy to reach on foot from nearby landmarks and public areas. Keep in mind this is an active place of worship, so visitors should dress respectfully and be mindful of service times.
The rough-hewn Rüdersdorf limestone clads only the base of the brick walls, a deliberate nod to Romanesque fortified churches and a hallmark of architect Ludwig von Tiedemann. Above it, Rathenow hand-struck bricks and monastery-format tiles carry the Gothic illusion. The altar stands unusually to the north, a condition of the building permit tied to the neighbouring courthouse.
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