Desecrated Altar of the Church of the Failed Modern Art Project

 

The Church of Christ the King

In 1932, after 7 years of planning and design, the Parish of Christ the King was founded and the church was built. The parish vicarage was formed from the 3 neighbouring parishes of St. Peter and Paul, St. Meinolphus and Liebfrauen. The Franciscans from Paderborn were entrusted with the pastoral care. The church was given the title Christ the King in reference to the new Roman church festival which had been introduced in 1926. This confession of Jesus Christ was to lead to special confrontation with the Nazis in the Third Reich. The patronage encouraged witness in faith and led many Fathers and Christians of the parish to the political resistance of the church in Bochum. The parish is still marked by this today.

In the Second World War, shortly after the congregation was founded, almost everything was destroyed in bombing raids, especially the church building. The rapid reconstruction of the church and the monastery showed the determination of the parishioners to once again put their faith into action.

The simple design of the church corresponds to the Franciscans' ideal of poverty. There are only a few works of art. But these emphasise essential aspects of the faith - such as the crown of thorns and the tabernacle stele created by the same artist, as well as the ambo with the motif of Jacob's ladder.

As part of the restructuring of the Essen diocese, the use of the church as an art church is now intended to provide impulses for the transformation of the parish for the future.

Source

Cathcon: The project closed in 2019.  The Bishop does not allow Mass to be celebrated there.  The very title of the Church was a challenge to the Nazis. I once met a man who was cycling home from day of prayer organised by Cardinal Innitzer in reparation for his initial positive reaction to the Nazi takeover in Austria in the Cathedral of St. Stephen of Vienna for 7 October 1938, which was attended by almost 9,000 parishioners, mostly young people. In the sermon, Innitzer declared that "we must confess our faith in our Führer, for there is just one Führer: Jesus Christ".   The man on the bicycle was told to do a "Heil Hitler", he refused saying, "Heil Christ".  He was sent to a concentration camp. 

And sourced from Wikipedia, "On 17 September 1932, a Franciscan priest, Romanus Bange was appointed by Archbishop Caspar Klein as the first parish priest of the new parish of Christ-König in Bochum.

In the time of National Socialism, Romanus courageously defended the Church against slander and suspicion. In Advent 1937 he was denounced for the first time and imprisoned for a week. His heart complaints intensified. On 21 July 1941, the Gestapo occupied the monastery in Bochum. Shortly afterwards, Father Romanus succumbed to his heart condition. His funeral became an impressive mass rally against the Nazi regime. Over 6000 people attended the funeral services on the church square and at the burial in Bochum's main cemetery on Freigrafendamm. The sermon was described by believers as the posthumous work of Father Romanus."

This Church, however, post-war, never resisted the modern world and has been overwhelmed.

Magnificent pulpit from which was preached the Gospel of Christ the King

Meaningless ball

As of June the latest use- for a trade fair for wine.  Another event is planned for next year. 

"MESSWINE“

A very special trade fair for very special wines

With over 5 million people inhabiting an area covering not even 5000 km², the Ruhr district, also known colloquially as the „Pott“, is the largest conurbation in Germany, making it the largest in Europe. Here in the Pott there is a lot going on – and the people living here are always thirsty. The desire for wine has been growing more and more popular from year to year, and interest in honest, handcrafted products is huge. Therefore, in 2022 it was high time for us to launch a trade fair called „Messwine“ – a trade fair for wines with the aim of accomodating the steadily growing interest in these wines. A platform for wine-growers and traders who work sustainably, ecologically and in harmony with nature, producing wines with character that show their origins, and that are allowed to be unconventional and „messy“. We call it: Sustainable, Ecological, Close to nature = SEC.

With the Christ-König-Kirche, we have found a wonderful place which could not have been more suitable for our purposes. A very special room in a spectacular building with history, atmosphere, a cool vibe and enough space for over 60 exhibitors. And since it is situated right in the middle of Bochum‘s town centre, only five minutes away from the train station, you could say that Düsseldorf & Cologne, Frankfurt, Mannheim & Berlin are just around the corner.

We are now looking forward to a fabulous MessWine 2023 with you. Also this year there is a delicious range of snacks and vegetarian cuisine and of course really good coffee for catering throughout the day.

Messwein is communion wine but this is emphatically not that product.

Standing in the sanctuary!