stuff to do in.cologne
© MyName ( Adbo2009 ( talk )) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Johanneskirche (Cologne-Sülz)

Protestant church in Cologne-Sülz from the early 1960s, featuring colourful hexagonal concrete honeycomb windows and a baptistery separated by glass walls.

Indoor Rainy day

The Johanneskirche on Nonnenwerthstraße in Cologne-Sülz is a Protestant church built in the early 1960s. It serves the Cologne-Klettenberg congregation alongside the Tersteegenhaus as its second church.

At a Glance

Type
Protestant church
Style
Modernist
Location
Nonnenwerthstraße, Sülz district (Lindenthal borough)
Foundation stone
1961
Consecration
7 July 1963
Architect
Peter Graebner
Named after
the Evangelist John
Seating capacity
originally 460 to 520
Did you know?

The door handle at the main entrance is shaped like the Evangelist John pointing to the Bible – an unusual artistic detail that makes the church's namesake tangible the moment you arrive.

History

As Cologne grew and migration increased, the number of Protestants in what is now the Lindenthal borough rose steadily from 1871 through the 1960s, making a dedicated church for the Sülz and Klettenberg neighbourhoods necessary. A building association was founded in 1956, the foundation stone was laid in 1961, and the church was consecrated on 7 July 1963. The name was chosen because the incumbent pastor Schumann, who served from 1951 to 1972, devoted particular scholarly attention to the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation.

© Adbo2009 22:21, 3. Feb. 2009 (CET) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Architecture

The site sits roughly three metres below street level, so the lower storey is below grade on the entrance side but fully above ground on the other three sides. The side walls consist of a reinforced-concrete frame with fair-faced brickwork, into which prefabricated hexagonal concrete honeycombs filled with coloured cast glass are set to admit light. The altar wall is formed by two masonry surfaces meeting at an obtuse angle. The building is topped by a shallow pitched roof clad in slate, beneath which fine hardwood panels line the interior. A planned 30.5-metre bell tower was deferred due to limited funds.

Interior & Furnishings

Just inside the entrance, a baptistery is separated from the nave solely by glass walls, preserving a visual connection to the main space. Above it sits a gallery housing the organ and ancillary rooms, while the sacristy adjoins the nave on one side. The colourful honeycomb windows bathe the nave in direct, jewel-toned light. The door handle at the main entrance is sculpted in the form of the Evangelist John pointing to the Bible. The altar is a solid block of exposed concrete topped with a natural stone slab; above it hangs a triumphant cross of metal adorned with lead crystal and amethyst nails, bearing the inscription "I am the bread of life (John 6:35)." The organ society was founded in 1967 and the instrument completed in 1974.

Today

Beyond regular Sunday services, the church hosts beat masses introduced by Pastor Uwe Seidel, as well as concerts by the Johanneskantorei choir. As of 2008, around 9,500 Protestants lived within the Cologne-Klettenberg congregation's area.

Timeline

  1. 1871
    Growth of Protestant population in the Lindenthal district begins
  2. 1956
    Church building association founded, preliminary planning begins
  3. 1961
    Foundation stone laid for the Johanneskirche
  4. 1963
    Church consecrated on 7 July 1963
  5. 1967
    Organ building association founded
  6. 1974
    Organ completed

Map

Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.

You might also like

St. Nikolaus (Köln-Sülz)

Known as the 'Sülzer Dom', this Neo-Romanesque basilica (1903–1909) features a Pantocrator mosaic, Otto-cast bells, and an organ with a unique 'distant work' swell.

Krieler Dömchen

Cologne's second-oldest church after St. Gereon — a small Romanesque village chapel in Lindenthal with roots stretching back to around 900 AD.

Tersteegenhaus

Protestant church in Cologne-Sülz, consecrated in 1928 as a community hall — its former event hall now serves as a worship space with chairs arranged in a circle around the altar.

Comments

  • Loading comments…

Sources & links

Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26