Reifferscheid: St. Michael and its Building History

In Reifferscheid, the parish church of St. Michael brings together several building phases: a Gothic tower shaft, the Neo-Gothic church building and later additions form visible layers; the restored original painted decoration is also still visible. The effect of the cross vaults above the nave is particularly striking; after a renovation, they seem to float. St. Michael thus offers a tangible way to explore building history and church architecture. Anyone wishing to include architectural history in a trip can use this building to consider architectural forms, changes and preservation as interconnected themes.

New construction and preserved traces

The parish church was rebuilt between 1893 and 1895 to plans by the architect Lambert von Fisenne. The lower part of the tower was retained, and the church was consecrated in 1896. Two aspects therefore stand side by side: a newly planned church building and a preserved part of the tower. The construction period and the later consecration mark distinct steps in the building’s history. For culturally minded travellers, this combination of renewal and preservation is a tangible starting point for exploring the history of St. Michael.

Vaults and preserved chancel

During the renovation from 1971 to 1973, the central supporting columns were removed, leaving the old construction principle visible. The cross vaults above the nave seem to float. A cross vault is a ceiling form in which the vault surfaces intersect; the nave is the central longitudinal space of a church. These terms help distinguish the form from its spatial effect: the removed supports and the vaults make the construction principle understandable in the central space. The former chancel, with its Neo-Gothic altar, was preserved as a sacrament chapel. This brings together a change to the supporting structure and the preservation of the former chancel and its altar.

Comparing two building phases

The building phases can be compared by looking at their different traces. In the new construction of 1893 to 1895, the focus is on Fisenne’s plans and the preserved lower part of the tower; in the renovation of 1971 to 1973, it is on the vaults and the preserved former chancel. This suggests two questions to consider at St. Michael: Are you mainly interested in how the Neo-Gothic church was built, or would you like to understand how an older construction principle and a historic chancel were preserved in a later renovation? The comparison puts the dates in the context of the building changes they refer to.

Church architecture and regional local history

Regional local history can also add a cultural perspective. In the wider travel destination of Ahrweiler, the Ahrweiler District Archive serves as a local history information and advisory centre for historical and local history questions about the region. St. Michael focuses on architecture, building phases and painted decoration; the archive deals with questions about the region’s history and local heritage. The history of a single building and regional historical interests thus offer distinct areas of focus. You can decide whether St. Michael’s architecture will be the focus of your cultural visit, or whether you would also like to explore regional local history.

Discover more destinations: Pomster, Meuspath, Dankerath, Sierscheid, Wimbach, Kaltenborn, Herschbroich, Wershofen.

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