St. Severin, Aachen, Roman Catholic parish church in Eilendorf, Germany.
St. Severin is a Neo-Romanesque basilica of roughly hewn grey-brown stone, built in 1864 to plans by Heinrich Wiethase and August Essenwein. It has a cruciform plan with three naves, a polygonal apse, and a crossing flèche; the four-storey west tower, designed by Heinrich van Kann and finished in 1908, carries a clock, corner pinnacles and an octagonal spire with a golden weathervane.
The parish, dedicated to Saint Severin of Cologne, was founded in 1293 by the Kornelimünster Imperial Abbey and stayed incorporated into it until secularisation in 1804. The present church replaced an older one in 1864, built to plans by Heinrich Wiethase and August Essenwein; the tower, designed by Heinrich van Kann, was only finished in 1908. Bomb damage on 14 July 1943 led to restoration until 1953, and the church entered Aachen's monument list in 1988.
The parish, dedicated to Saint Severin of Cologne, was founded in 1293 by the Kornelimünster imperial abbey and stayed under it until secularisation in 1804. Inside, the church holds graves of local noble families: a 1772 record by the sacristan Huberti Heimich lists 82 tombs, from 16 in the choir to one beneath the benches toward Kornelimünster.
St. Severin stands in Eilendorf, east of central Aachen, with the churchyard laid out around it since about 1870. The main entrance lies at the base of the four-storey west tower, behind a low stone wall with pillars and a metal gate. The interior was redesigned by architect Kaldenbach between 1974 and 1980, so expect a modernised layout rather than the 1864 arrangement.
The four bells in the main tower, cast by Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock in 1904 and 1926, sound the notes c', es', f' and g'; rung together they produce the hymn motifs "O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf" or "Dank sei dir Vater". A fifth bell by the same foundry hangs in the roof turret.
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