Church of Saints Constantine and Helena (Cologne)

The temple is located in the central part of Cologne, a ten-minute walk from the central train station , on the small Maria-Ablass-Platz square, surrounded by buildings built in the 50s of the 20th century. A few tens of meters from the church building is a memorial sculptural composition dedicated to the Catholic martyr nun of Jewish origin Edith Stein . Of the neighboring buildings, the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK Köln) and the palace of the Cologne Archbishop combined with the Institute for Advanced Studies of Catholic Priests of the Cologne Archdiocese (Erzbischöfliche Priesterseminar Köln) can also be noted. The church does not have its own parking , with the exception of several parking lots for priests' cars.

According to an archival document dated 927, the Cologne archbishop Wichfried donated the church of Mary (the forerunner of the modern church of Saints Constantine and Helena) to the newly formed female pin of St. Ursula in 922. The founder of the church is buried in the nearby church of St. Gereon .

The second time the church of Mary is mentioned in 1172. This time it is called the Church of the Virgin Mary. At the beginning of the XIII century, it is called "St. Mary of the Fields or Absolution", and a little later, around 1220 - "Church of Blessed Mary, the Mother of God." And only since about 1300 the name “Maria Absolution” (Maria Ablass) was assigned to the church ^[1] .

Name Origin

According to medieval tradition, annually on Palm Sunday , a festive church procession took place between Cologne Cathedral and St. Gereon’s church, and the Church of the Absolution of Sins was a place of prayer (stops during the procession , when the prayers put in this case were read). On the way back, after the “palm consecration” in the church of St. Gereon, the procession stopped at the Church of Mary Absolution and the faithful prayed fervently before the image of the widely revered Mother of God. Here the bishop read a sermon , and upon its completion he proclaimed the absolution for all who participated in the service. After this, the procession continued on its way to the cathedral to participate in the festive mass ^[2] .

Chapel of the Miraculous Image

For a long time, the miraculous image , which is a fresco , was located on the outer (northern) side of the church and was exposed to the devastating effects of bad weather. In this regard, in 1431 a protective structure was erected here, and in 1528 the chapel of the miraculous image, preserved to this day, was already mentioned for the first time. In 1808 the church itself was demolished, and the chapel, together with the northern wall of the church, on which the miraculous image is located, is left and now this image in the form of a fresco can be seen inside the modern church (former chapel), in the altar , on the upper half of the right wall.

The miraculous image was repeatedly restored and the last time this work after the end of World War II was performed by the Cologne artist Rita Paasche-Hecker (1915-1981). The chapel has also been restored many times. In the XVII century, on the eastern side, the sacristy was completed, which is much lower than the ridge of the modern church. The western side of the church (its facade) in the 19th century was restored in the Neo - Gothic style by the Cologne architect Vincenz Statz, the remains of which were removed in 1945 ^[3] .

Votive Image

As an example of miraculous help in prayers to the miraculous image of the Mother of God, a large image is placed on the right wall of the church on the right wall, donated to the church as a donation-thanks for saving from death. The painting was painted in the 18th century and is dedicated to the Cologne knight Bruno von Mauenheim. According to legend, this knight in the XIII century participated in the crusade , was captured and imprisoned. The death penalty awaited him, but thanks to fervent tearful prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos, he was miraculously saved. Upon returning from captivity, the knight Bruno visited the miraculous image of “Mary of the Absolution of Sins,” earnestly prayed and thanked for salvation, and also brought his imprisoned fetters as a gift to the image of the Most Holy Theotokos. This is described in small comments that are provided with the image. The central part of the picture is the prayer of the knight Bruno in front of the miraculous image “Mary Absolution”. Before the Mother of God, the knight himself is depicted on his knees with his hands outstretched to the Mother of God, in which he holds his shackles . To date, these shackles are considered lost.

Appearance

The roof of the church is covered with plates of dark shale. A small temple tower stands out on the ridge. The roof is three-span, overlapping cruciform internal arches. The southern external wall of the church is smoothly plastered in white and has no windows. This side is not visible from the roadway. Daylight penetrates through three northern Gothic windows. Smaller windows on the east side illuminate the altar and sacristy. The western simple entrance portal with steps has been preserved since the Renaissance ( 1687 ).

Interiors

The layout of the internal space has remained unchanged for hundreds of years, with the exception of the throne . But the placement of church furniture is adapted for Orthodox services. Each of the large windows of the church illuminates one of its parts: the altar , the place of prayer and the narthex .

The church has no place for the lobby , so it starts with a narthex, which houses the church shop and a place for a meal. Only in the corner is there a little hung up for outerwear. There is no toilet in the church. On the walls of the narthex, epitaphs are still placed, remaining, as it is supposed, from the Italian church community, which occupied the premises before the Russian Orthodox Church came here. Here also hangs an information table in German, telling about the history of the church. At the window is a font inherited by the Orthodox from the Catholics. It was acquired in 1615 . In the vestibule there are several analogs with Orthodox icons. The narthex is separated from the prayer room by a curly wrought iron grate, locked by a lock during the absence of worship.

The central part of the prayer room is occupied by analogs, on which the celebrated icons of saints or holidays are laid out. On the right there is a small space for choir , and on the left is a place for drinking ^[4] . On the blank right wall there is a huge votive image of the knight Bruno worshiping the Blessed Virgin Mary. Near the iconostases, a place is organized where the priest accepts confession.

The fresco of the miraculous image of the Virgin is preserved in the altar on the right wall. The altar is separated from the prayer room by a small wooden iconostasis .

History

In the 1950s, a stream of migrant workers , including from Orthodox Greece and Yugoslavia, intensified in Germany. In Cologne, there was a need for Orthodox church services for immigrants. When the current abbot of the Russian parish, then the school teacher German Faltermeier, for professional reasons moved in 1969-1970 with his family from Berlin to Cologne, he met a small group of Orthodox Germans belonging to Orthodox parishes of various jurisdictions. This situation was unacceptable for German Orthodox believers in Cologne.

In 1970, when the Orthodox Church in America became autocephalous , the then Archbishop of Philadelphia, Alexy (van der Mensbrugge) , a Belgian by birth, who wanted to remain under the omophorion of the Moscow Patriarchate , moved to Europe and was engaged in the establishment of the Russian Orthodox Northwest Diocese with residence in Duesseldorf . The diocese was established in 1971. In the same year, the Catholic diocese of Cologne provided for worship services the Cologne Orthodox German-speaking community from ancient times revered church of Santa Maria al Campo (now Ablaßkapelle ). Until that time, services were held once a month in the crypt of the Catholic student community of Cologne on Berrenratter Street. Since 1971, services have been held by Bishop Alexy, Archpriest Sergius Khaits (from Düsseldorf) and Priest Maximilian Kemms (from Oberhausen and Neuss).

On May 11, 1972, at the festive service, Bishop Alexy canonically established the Cologne Orthodox community of the Moscow Patriarchate. Emperor Constantine (who founded the Kastell Deutz fortress in Cologne and Empress Helen (founded the church of St. Gereon in Cologne) were chosen as the patron saints of the community.

On May 27, 1973, Herman Faltermeier was appointed priest of the community; Deacon Stefan Ess was ordained in the priesthood , who began to serve as the second priest in Cologne and at the same time as the head of the communities in Dusseldorf, Oberhausen and Neuss . In the same year, the iconostasis created by the German icon painter from Cologne appeared in the decoration of the church. The community received the sacred vessels for the Eucharist as a gift from a Greek family. Thanks to the help of the priest, Professor Dr. Georgios Metallinos , who was then the counselor of the student body, the community was able to purchase church utensils from Greece. Since September 2, 1975, a Sunday school began to be held for students once a month.

In 1977, the Archbishop of Berlin and Central Europe, the Patriarchal Exarch of Central Europe, Filaret (who later became Archbishop of Minsk and Slutsky) presented the Cologne community with new icons for the iconostasis made in Zagorsk .

In 1982, Archbishop Volokolamsk Pitirim held the Divine Liturgy in the church, and Alexy Leningrad (future Patriarch Alexy II ) on January 29, 1989. At the same time, by order of Metropolitan Alexy, Irinikos Schulten was appointed deacon of the parish.

After the political changes of 1990, when a new wave of Orthodox immigrants from the former USSR appeared, a second liturgical language, Church Slavonic, was introduced into the church .

In 1992, the liturgy in the Constantine-Elenin Church was served by Metropolitan Kirill (now the patriarch). By decree of January 8, 2005, Viktor Yakim was appointed the second priest of the parish.

Modernity

The number of parishioners is about 500 Orthodox believers, both Cologne and its environs. The church is supported by donations from clergy and parishioners and is currently unable to finance repairs to the church building. The Catholic Church of St. Ursula of Cologne deals with this issue, to which the building of the Church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen is assigned. The parish does not have the opportunity to rebuild and expand its church, since the building is included in the list of protected architectural monuments of the city ​​of Cologne.

The rector of the parish is Mitrophoric ^[5] Archpriest German Faltermeier ^[6] . He is a member of the Diocesan Council of the Berlin and German Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church MP.

The second priest of the temple is Priest Viktor Yakim, responsible for the spiritual nourishment of the Cossacks in Germany ^[7] .

Protodeacon Irinik Schulten ^[8] , who graduated from the theological faculty of the University of Heidelberg, is assigned to the temple.

Address: Church of Saints Constantine and Helena, Maria-Ablass -Platz 14, 50668 Cologne.

• Church of Saints Constantine and Helena in Cologne Official parish site of Russian Orthodox Church MP.
• Parish Equal App. Konstantin and Elena Official website of the Moscow Patriarchate.
• The Russian Church of Saints Constantine and Helena in Cologne celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church MP.
• Church of St. Konstantin and Elena (Cologne) Missionary Center of Daniil Sysoev ROC MP.