Missionshauskirche, Romanesque Revival church in St. Wendel, Germany.
The Missionshauskirche Maria Königin der Engel is a Romanesque Revival church within the Steyler Missionaries' mission house complex in St. Wendel. Father Alfred Fraebel, who also designed St. Michael's Cathedral in Qingdao, drew the overall design, while Frater Alexander Pyra supervised construction. The interior holds a Stahlhuth organ rebuilt in 1965 by Hugo Mayer, with 30 sounding registers on three manuals and pedal; the third manual is vacant.
The foundation stone was laid in 1910, and Bishop Michael Felix Korum consecrated the building on June 1, 1913. Architect Ludwig Becker was involved in the overall planning and shaped the Romanesque Revival appearance of the structure.
The church belongs to the Steyler Missionaries (SVD) and is dedicated to Mary, Queen of Angels. Its interior was designed by Father Alfred Fraebel, who also drew the overall plans and later designed St. Michael's Cathedral in Qingdao, China. The building is a listed monument within the St. Wendel mission house complex, which also houses the Arnold-Janssen-Gymnasium, a retirement home and a museum.
The church is part of the Missionshaus St. Wendel complex, which also houses the Arnold-Janssen-Gymnasium, a seniors' home and a museum. The organ, built by Stahlhuth of Aachen, was rebuilt in 1965 by Hugo Mayer of Heusweiler and has 30 sounding registers on three manuals and pedal, though the third manual (Positiv) is vacant. The three bronze bells, cast in 1955 by the Saarlouis foundry, have diameters of 1240, 1042 and 928 mm and weigh 1200, 720 and 500 kg.
On 10 January 1941 the mission house was expropriated without a court ruling, driven by Nazi Gauleiter Josef Bürckel, and the mission school became a NPEA, colloquially "Napola". The church itself was to be partly demolished and converted into a festival hall; after the war the French occupation returned the building, whose altars, pews and confessionals had been distributed to parishes and came back in good condition.
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