St. Josef, Aachen, Catholic church and sepulchral chapel in Aachen, Germany.
This brick church displays neo-Gothic architectural vocabulary with a transept and an apse. The building combines traditional sacred architecture with its later function as a columbarium for interment of cremated remains.
Architect Gerhard Franz Langenberg designed the structure, with construction beginning in 1893 and finishing in 1894. Auxiliary Bishop Hermann Joseph Schmitz consecrated the building in 1898. The 2006 renovation initiated its new purpose.
The interior walls display a monumental triptych by Aachen artist Rita Lausberg, created between 2004 and 2008, which addresses contemporary social questions facing modern society.
The building serves as a columbarium with 310 steles for a total of 1,860 urns. Burial spots can be acquired for periods of twenty years. The location in an Aachen district allows access by public transportation.
The conversion from a parish church to a burial church brought about uncommon additions. During the 2006 renovation, a water channel was created inside, symbolically reinforcing the new purpose of the space.
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