Scandalous sale of historic Church on internet. The carnage continues in the declining Church in Germany
Erfurt Parish offers Saint Crucis Church for sale online
"We already have many new ideas"
Children's clothing, coffee machines, pressure washers, and now a church. The Erfurt city center parish is offering the Crucis Church for sale on classifieds site Kleinanzeigen.de to reach potential buyers outside the church community.
DOMRADIO.DE: Why are you taking this unusual approach?
Claudia Meindl (Parish Council, St. Laurentius Parish, Erfurt): For the past two years, St. Laurentius Parish has been undergoing a consolidation process. At the end of this liturgical year, we will be closing four of our seven churches for parish use and are looking for new uses for them.
Since the beginning of this year, we have already secured potential uses for three churches, with whom we can negotiate effectively. Unfortunately, this isn't the case for St. Crucis Church. This led to the idea of expanding our pool of interested parties and gathering more ideas.
Luke 23:34
And Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. But they, dividing his garments, cast lots
Jesus autem dicebat : Pater, dimitte illis : non enim sciunt quid faciunt. Dividentes vero vestimenta ejus, miserunt sortes.
We primarily wanted to reach beyond local and church networks to include people outside these communities. This is how the idea of listing the church in classified ads came about. We want to generate interest. We want to collect ideas and explore possibilities. What other good uses could be made of such a church?
"The costs will depend on the final use, who the sponsoring organization is, and how we structure the legal arrangements."
DOMRADIO.DE: What is the asking price for the church?
Meindl: We don't have a fixed price. While the classified ads state "negotiable," this is a system requirement. It's a formality, not a specific amount. The costs will depend on the final use, who the operator is, and how we structure it legally. It depends on whether we sell, leasehold, or a long-term lease agreement.
We did the same with the other three churches: we first explored the concept and who would take on the role of operator. Then we discussed the financial arrangements. We simply have to see what comes our way.
DOMRADIO.DE: What makes the Crucis Church in Erfurt's city center so special?
Meindl: It's a very special church. There has been religious life there for about 850 years. The church in its current form was built in the Baroque style. It's the only completely preserved Baroque church in Erfurt. It was originally built by the Augustinian nuns.
The church's organ is special. It's a Volckland organ. It is an original, preserved Baroque organ, unparalleled in Central Germany. We have also hosted many concerts and music competitions there. Church music training has also taken place there.
Finally, it is well-located on the edge of the old town, with public transport connections and in close proximity to several other cultural venues.
DOMRADIO.DE: Have you received any feedback yet?
Meindl: We have already received a great deal of feedback, and it's continuing. I expect quite a bit more to come in by the end of April. There's a wide range of interested parties and offers. We've also received many new ideas that we think are something we can work with.
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