Neu St. Katharina

Niehl looks back on a long past: the place was already mentioned in 927 in a document of Archbishop Wichfried, and in 1236 a document of provost Buno refers to a chapel. From 1080 onwards the St. Kunibert collegiate church held the right to levy dues on Niehl. With industrialisation and the incorporation into Cologne in 1888, the population grew steadily, so that the old Katharina church soon became too small and a new building was required.

Towards the end of the 1950s the copper roofing of nave and tower was replaced with slate. From 1960 the remaining war damage was repaired under building official Reusteck. In 1961 the tower received a weathercock, soon followed by three new confessionals, and in 1962 the side doors were clad with copper plates – their handles crafted by goldsmith Dreher. From 1964 the interior was painted and reshaped to suit the liturgy of the Second Vatican Council. The plans came from Rudolf Schwarz together with architect Hermann Pfeifer: the main altar moved into the crossing, and the organ gained two cases on either side of the apse. Anton Wendling designed the altar table and steps, while Hein Wimmer created the tabernacle and cross.

Some historical furnishings no longer survive. The Cologne sculptor Edmund Mengelberg made the first high altar, whose sandstone mensa rested on three oak steps and whose retable showed the busts of Saints Sebastian, Anthony of Padua, Christina and Katharina. Further altars were added in the 19th century – the St. Joseph altar in 1894 by sculptor Most, the Marian altar in 1897 by Nabbe. A pulpit delivered in 1906 by the workshop of sculptor Eduard Schmitz (Senior) was adorned with the four evangelists and reliefs depicting the power of the keys and the twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple.