St. Katharinen

St. Katharinen, or St. Katharina and Barbara, stands as a magnificent testament to the rich history and architectural splendor of Halberstadt, the charming capital of the Harz district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. This Roman Catholic church has witnessed centuries of change, from its origins in the 13th century as a Dominican monastery church to its current role as the parish church of St. Burchard in the Diocese of Magdeburg.

A Journey Through Time: The History of St. Katharinen

The story of St. Katharinen begins in 1224, just three years after the death of St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order. Bishop Friedrich II of Halberstadt approved the establishment of a Dominican convent in Halberstadt. By 1231, the Dominicans had acquired land to build their monastery, and the first monks likely came from the Pauluskirche in Hildesheim. The monastery was completed in 1240, and in the autumn of 1242, Bishop Meinhard von Kranichfeld consecrated the monastery church.

The monastery experienced its first golden age, but the Reformation and the plague brought an abrupt end to its prosperity. By 1550, only two monks remained, and the plague claimed the lives of the last monks in 1565. The following year, Heinrich Julius, the first Protestant administrator, assumed control of the diocese. The abandoned St. Katharinen monastery was placed under the now bi-confessional cathedral chapter and transformed into a school.

The Thirty Years' War brought further upheaval. In 1628, Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, a Catholic bishop, took control and sought to re-Catholicize his territories. The St. Katharinen monastery was returned to the Dominicans, and two monks from the Holy Cross Monastery in Osnabrück resettled it. Despite interruptions during the Swedish occupation from 1632 to 1637, the monastery continued to operate based on the Westphalian Peace's normal year regulation, even during the Prussian era. The Dominicans served the local Roman Catholic community and the Protestant environment until the secularization of the monastery on December 1, 1810, under Napoleonic rule. The monastery buildings were repurposed as warehouses and factories, but the incorporated Catholic parish persisted.

In 1867, the Halberstadt deanery was established, and the St. Katharina and Barbara parish was attached to it. In 1910, the former monastery buildings were purchased by the parish community and converted between 1920 and 1923. These buildings housed a convent of the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus, a daycare center, a kindergarten, and a home for children and adolescents with disabilities until 2024.

The parish of St. Katharina and Barbara became part of the newly formed parish association Halberstadt – Adersleben – Gröningen in 2006, which included around 440 Catholics. On October 18, 2009, the current parish of St. Burchard in Halberstadt was established, comprising St. Katharinen Church in Halberstadt, St. Andreas Church in Halberstadt, St. Nikolaus Church in Adersleben, and St. Liborius Church in Gröningen. The parish of St. Katharina and Barbara was dissolved in this process. Until the dissolution of the deanery structures in the Diocese of Magdeburg on August 31, 2023, the church belonged to the Halberstadt deanery.

An Architectural Marvel: The Design of St. Katharinen

St. Katharinen Church was completed in 1360, incorporating older elements. As a towerless Gothic hall church with a long choir, it exemplifies the style of mendicant order churches. The three-aisled nave consists of five bays with four-lane tracery windows. The three-bay choir ends in a polygonal closure and features a slender roof rider. The cross-ribbed vaults are preserved only in the choir; the nave has a modern coffered ceiling. The Romanesque round arches between the central and side aisles in the eastern nave bays are particularly striking.

In the church's forecourt, at the so-called Halberstadt Bishop's Wall, designed by the Paderborn cathedral master builder Kurt Matern (1884-1968), stands a bust of Pope Clement II. Clement is depicted here, as well as on his tomb figure in Bamberg, wearing a rationale with a breastplate, a high medieval insignia of episcopal dignity.

A Treasure Trove of Art: The Interior of St. Katharinen

The 18th century saw the church receive a rich Baroque interior, which was last restored in the 1980s. The four-story high altar is particularly noteworthy, with elaborate carvings and numerous figures of angels and saints, including Dominican saints and the church's patrons, St. Katharina and St. Barbara.

The Majestic Organ

The organ, likely built by organ builder Wilhelm Bergen from Halberstadt around 1873, is housed in a Baroque case from the previous organ. The instrument features 26 stops on two manuals and a pedal, with mechanical playing and stop actions.

St. Katharinen in Halberstadt is not just a church; it is a living monument to the city's rich history and cultural heritage. Whether you are a history enthusiast, an architecture lover, or simply a curious traveler, a visit to this remarkable church will undoubtedly leave you with a deep appreciation for the enduring legacy of this sacred site.