Sankt Christophorus

Sankt Christophorus is a Roman Catholic church in Westerland, on the island of Sylt, Germany. Designed by Dieter Georg Baumewerd, the church uses semi-oval brick shells. Its outer walls feature small porthole windows and a form resembling a ship’s hull. Long upper windows and lower pillar passages shape the inner walls. Inside, the elliptical space forms a three-aisled arrangement. Dark blue conches close the church at its narrow ends. The altar and ambo provide the interior’s central focus. Benches run parallel to the long walls around the central baptismal font. The cross-shaped font is set into the floor for baptism by immersion. A freestanding bell tower with a triangular base stands slightly away from the nave’s axis. Its bells came from the previous church and remain part of Sankt Christophorus. Emil Wachter’s stained-glass windows also connect the present building with its predecessor. The interior design comes from the Cologne artist W. Gies. An organ installed by Jehmlich of Dresden adds a functional detail to the modern church. Brick, blue conches, stained glass and bells give Sankt Christophorus a distinct architectural character.