St. Catherine's Church, Lutheran church in Gelting, Germany

St. Katharinen is a Gothic brick church built around 1300 on a hill above the Geltinger Au. Its red brick gable carries a slender dark spire, a black clock with gold hands and numerals, and a small round window; lower wings with pyramid-shaped red tile roofs flank it. Inside, a white organ with silver pipes stands above an altar inscribed "SOLI DEO GLORIA", with a pale blue arched niche holding a crucifixion relief.

The church was built around 1300 by the owners of Gut Gelting for their estate subjects and was dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. From 1427 it was incorporated into the Cistercian monastery of Rüde and owed tithes. After the Reformation, the estate lords held patronage rights, including choosing preachers, until 1928. In 1595 Claus von Ahlefeldt sold the organ and medieval artworks, prompting complaints from Johann von der Wisch.

The church is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. A local legend says the church was meant to have two bells, but one fell into the mouth of the Schlei during shipment; when the small bell rings, it seems to say "Min mag ligger i æ Minn" (my mate lies in the mouth). Before the Second Schleswig War, services were held in a mix of Danish and German.

The church stands on a hill on Norderholm, the road leading to Gelting manor, at the western edge of the parish rather than in the village centre. The Geltinger Au once ran past it and a bridge crossed the stream directly in front of the church. The timber bell tower of 1729 and the south porch of 1640 are the first elements reached from the road.

The building houses two separate crypts with different origins: one was built in 1674 by Asmus von Rumohr. The second crypt was reserved for the local nobility.