St. Lambertus Church Germany - The Romanesque Revival Style Church Built in 12th Century.
The Church of St. Lambertus, locally known as the Immerather Dom was a Roman Catholic parish church in the village of Immerath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was dedicated to Saint Lambert of Maastricht had existed on the site since at least the 12th century. It is mentioned in the Liber valoris (an ecclesiastical register of the Archdiocese of Cologne). Being rebuilt and enlarged a number of times before being demolished in 1888. It was replaced by Romanesque Revival church building, which was constructed between 1888 and 1891 to designs of Erasmus Schüller.
The church was badly damaged by artillery fire in February 1945, during World War II. Repair works began in the following year, and were completed in 1949. The bells had been sent to Hamburg at the beginning of the war, and they were returned to the church in 1947. The church was added to the list of heritage monuments in Erkelenz on 14 May 1985 due to its architectural and symbolic value.
The village of Immerath was on the planned route for the extension of the Garzweiler surface mine, a large lignite mine operated by the company RWE. The entire village was therefore demolished in the 2010s, with the company building a new settlement known as Immerath-Neu 11 km away as its replacement. Maintaining the costs of the church had become too burdensome given the considerable decline of the faithful to fewer than 60 people. The parishioners therefore accepted the company's offer to build a new smaller church in the new town Immerath-Neu.
The last Mass in the Romanesque Revival church was celebrated on 13 October 2013, and it was subsequently deconsecrated. The building was demolished on 9 January 2018, amidst protests by Greenpeace activists. The demolition was part of the destruction of the entire village of Immerath in order to make way for the Garzweiler surface mine. A new smaller church with the same dedication was built as its replacement in Immerath-Neu between 2013 and 2015.
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The Church of St. Lambertus was a basilica built in the Romanesque Revival style, and it was constructed out of bricks decorated with tuff. Its façade had twin bell towers standing at around 40 m (130 ft) high. The towers contained two bells which were added in 1955. It had a double main portal surmounted by a bas-relief depicting Christ Pantocrator. Inside, after the vestibule, there were three naves separated by four pairs of pillars. A gallery hosting the organ was located above the vestibule and it was accessible through a spiral staircase from the western tower.
The walls and ceiling were plastered in white and the floor had coloured tiles arranged in geometric patterns. The furnishings, parts of which dated back to previous structures, were rather opulent and contrasted with the austere Romanesque style of the building. It was the only church in the district of Heinsberg having that form. The highlights included the sculptural group with the crucifix above the choir and the richly decorated high altar covered in gold.
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