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St. George's Chapel

Late Gothic chapel in Cologne-Weiß, first mentioned in 1433, featuring vivid murals from the 1980s.

Indoor

Stop number 8 on the Rodenkirchen Cultural Trail, the chapel is woven into a local walking route steeped in village history.

At a Glance

Type
Roman Catholic chapel, hall church with semicircular apse
Style
Late Gothic core
Location
Weiß district, Rodenkirchen borough
Named after
Saint George
Parish
Catholic Parish Im Rheinbogen
First mentioned
1433
Did you know?

When the villagers of Weiß built the late-Gothic chapel in the 15th century, the Archbishop of Cologne, Dietrich von Moers, was only informed of the completed construction after the fact.

History

The chapel's earliest documented mention dates to 1433, when villagers informed Cologne's archbishop, Dietrich von Moers, of the building only after they had already completed it themselves. Local residents also covered the costs of upkeep and the priest's salary. Originally attached to the parish church of St. Servatius in Immendorf, it came under St. Remigius in Sürth from the 18th century onward. The building was enlarged in 1821 and again in 1923, when it was elevated to an independent parish.

War and Reconstruction

The chapel suffered severe damage during the Second World War and burned out entirely in 1944. In 1953/54 the people of Weiß opted to build a new parish church of St. George further south instead of rebuilding on site. The original structure was restored to its historic form in 1965, though without reinstating its 1923 extension.

Interior and Restorations

A thorough overhaul of the interior took place in the 1980s: in 1985, artists Elmar Hillebrand, Anna M'barek and Theo Heiermann created the chapel's murals, while Hillebrand also designed the tracery window in the choir. From November 2023 to March 2024, the interior was refurbished again under Cologne architect Jens Kratzheller, with the paintings retouched by Anna M'barek, Clemens Hillebrand and Paul Heiermann alongside conservators from Restauratoren Karthäuserhof.

Bells

Two bells hang in the roof turret, though their exact origins remain uncertain. One is attributed to Kaiserslautern founder Johann Georg Pfeiffer and thought to date from 1922, sounding the note e²+6⁄16. The other is traced to Heinrich Claren in 1825 and rings at gis²−4⁄16.

Timeline

  1. 1433
    First documented mention of the chapel
  2. 1821
    Chapel extended
  3. 1923
    Elevation to independent parish and further enlargement
  4. 1944
    Heavily damaged and gutted by fire in World War II
  5. 1953/54
    Decision to build a new parish church St. Georg further south
  6. 1965
    Old chapel restored to its original form as a hall church
  7. 1985
    Interior painted by Elmar Hillebrand, Anna M'barek and Theo Heiermann
  8. 2023–2024
    Extensive interior renovation led by Jens Kratzheller

Map

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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-09-01

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