St. Clemens parish church

Church | Historical building

#deinsauerland / Neusta POIs / St. Clemens parish church

The oldest form of the parish church of St. Clemens dates back to the time of Bishop Anno of Cologne (1050-1075).

At this time, the church was a flat-roofed hall with a semicircular apse. After Count Heinrich III von Sayn and his wife Mechtildis von Landsberg founded a Cistercian monastery in Drolshagen in 1235, the modest hall church was converted into a basilica. It was not until the town was fortified in 1491 that today's tower was added as a watch and defense tower.

Address

St. Clemens parish church

Kirchplatz

57489 Drolshagen

Telephone: 02761/71124

pfarrbuero@kirchspiel-drolshagen.de

URLs

Homepage

Properties:

Parking spaces available
Bus stop available
Free admission

The interior of the Romanesque church surprises with its austere, raised central nave. There are four columns on the outer choir wall, which are said to be made of limestone from the Roman Eifel water pipeline. When the church was given a modern extension in the 1960s and the Romanesque church was renovated, Romanesque frescoes were found in the apses of the side aisles. Also worthy of note are the baptismal font (13th century), a Gothic sacrament house in the choir and a 15th century Pieta as well as 18th century Baroque sculptures: a crucifixion group in the choir, the pulpit, St. Sebastian's altar and the organ prospectus from 1787.

The belfry contains six new bronze bells and a steel bell, which is considered to be the largest in the Archdiocese of Paderborn. All the bells together have a total weight of around 18 tons and

the parish church of St. Clemens was thoroughly renovated over a number of years and reconsecrated in 2021. The new altarpiece by artist Thomas Jessen has become a much-discussed and sensational attraction. The altarpiece is located in the extension from the 1960s. The three-part winged altarpiece shows the Virgin Mary standing on a wooden ladder in the center, with the Apostle Thomas to the right and St. Veronica to the left. The photorealistically painted, life-size figures look more like parishioners or craftsmen who are in the process of redesigning the altar space visible in the background. Jessen from Sauerland, who has completed numerous commissioned works for places of worship, takes up the biblical motif of the holy girdle in the 5 x 4.50 meter painting, which Mary gives to the unbelieving Thomas as proof of her ascension. St. Veronica works on a wood carving depicting the sweat cloth.