St. Christoph
Demolished parish church of St. Gereon's collegiate foundation — its name lives on in Christophstraße and the St. Christophhaus community centre.
St. Christoph served as the Catholic parish and parish church attached to Cologne's collegiate foundation of St. Gereon. It stood roughly 15 metres from the northern tower of St. Gereon's choir and disappeared in the early 19th century.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Former Catholic parish church and parish
- Location
- Altstadt-Nord, Innenstadt district, near St. Gereon
- First recorded
- 1172
- Named after
- Saint Christopher
- Demolished
- Church building 1806, perimeter walls 1837
- Today
- No longer standing; name preserved in a street and a parish house
During the secularization under French occupation, the church was auctioned off like ordinary merchandise in 1803, demolished in 1806, and a new street was later built directly over its former grounds, leaving literally no trace behind.
History
The origins lay in a chapel dedicated to Saint Christopher, initially reserved for the provost of St. Gereon's foundation. Around 1190 it was elevated to a parish church, and in 1219 a new building was consecrated, to which a transept was later added on the southern side.
Secularisation and Demolition
During the French occupation, the authorities dissolved Cologne's collegiate foundations, after which St. Gereon took over the parish duties. St. Christoph ceased operations as early as 1803 and was subsequently auctioned off. The church itself was torn down in 1806, while the perimeter walls and sexton's building were not removed until 1837.
Traces Today
The new Christophstraße now runs across the site of the former church. The community house of the Catholic parish of St. Gereon also keeps the memory alive, bearing the name St. Christophhaus.
Timeline
- 1172First documented mention of St. Christoph
- um 1190Chapel elevated to parish church
- 1219Consecration of a newly built parish church
- 1803Church closed and auctioned off (secularisation)
- 1806Church building demolished
- 1837Perimeter walls and sexton's building demolished
Map
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-27
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