Heilig-Geist-Kirche Werder, Gothic Revival church near Werder train station, Germany.
Heilig-Geist-Kirche is a Gothic Revival church on the Kirchberg in Werder (Havel), built from Rathenow clinker brick with reused fieldstones from its predecessor. Its cruciform plan combines a nave and transept, and the roughly 50-metre tower rises in brick tiers above a pale-rendered lower section with a large clock face. Inside, clustered pillars support pointed arches and a wooden ribbed ceiling.
The original church at this location was founded around 1250 by Cistercian monks from Lehnin Monastery, but deteriorated over time and was torn down in 1736. The present building was later constructed in the Gothic Revival style on this historically important site.
The 1911 stained-glass windows show Christ's Ascension and the four Evangelists; those in the nave and above the side galleries were destroyed in the Second World War and replaced in 1950 with designs by Katharina Peschel depicting Christ's birth, death, baptism and resurrection. In the apse vault a dove above the ciborium stands for the Holy Spirit.
The church is easily visible from outside and can be visited during opening hours from nearby Werder train station. The tall tower is visible from a distance and serves as a landmark for finding the building.
Inside hangs an oil painting from the late 1600s titled 'Christ as Pharmacist,' which became known through the writings of the German author Theodor Fontane. This unusual subject is a rare example of how religious art was interpreted during that era.
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