The Christuskirche is the church and parish of German Protestants in Paris (25 rue Blanche, 9th arrondissement). Initially founded as a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

church, today it is a

United church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

. The present building was completed in 1894. The official name is Deutsche Evangelische Christuskirche – Église protestant allemande à Paris. The church is a member of the

Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland The Evangelical Church in Germany (german: Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, abbreviated EKD) is a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed ( Calvinist) and United (e.g. Prussian Union) Protestant regional churches and denominations in Ge ...

(EKD). It has a tradition as a concert venue of church music, with Helga Schauerte as the organist from 1982.

History

The German Protestant parish in Paris dates back to the 17th century, when Protestants were not permitted to hold services in Paris. Freedom of religion was granted by Napoleon in 1806. In the 19th century, around 70,000 Germans lived in Paris. They were guests in other churches for their services, until the present church was built in 1894. The building was confiscated during World War I. When it was returned to the German congregation in the 1920s, its interior was remodelled. The first organ was built with the church, by from

Giengen Giengen (; full name: Giengen an der Brenz; Swabian: ''Gẽänge'') is a former Free Imperial City in eastern Baden-Württemberg near the border with Bavaria in southern Germany. The town is located in the district of Heidenheim at the eastern e ...

. The instrument took part in the Universal Exhibition in Antwerp in 1894, and was awarded a Medal of Honor. It was dismantled in World War I, and transferred to the Church of Ascension, Rue Dulong, in Paris in 1919. The project of a new organ was supported by

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schwei ...

, but was interrupted by World War II. The present organ was built in 1964 by Detlef Kleuker from

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region ('' Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and ...

. It is modeled after German Baroque organs.

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a Germany, German statesman who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the fir ...

, the German Chancellor, supported its financing. Titular organists were (1964), Detlef Wieghorst (1965–1966), (1966–1967), Detlef Schmidt (1967–1968),

Wolfgang Karius Wolfgang Karius (born 4 June 1943) is a German conductor, organist and harpsichordist. Biography Karius was born at Gummersbach. He attended the Hochschule für Musik Köln where he studied organ under Wolfgang Stockmeier and Michael Schneid ...

(1968–1970), Jean-Marc Pulvert (1971),

Edgar Krapp Edgar Krapp (born June 3, 1947 in Bamberg) is a German organist and music professor. Krapp is a member of the Board of the Neue Bachgesellschaft (New Bach Society) in Leipzig and the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts. Biography Krapp's first organ le ...

(1971–1972), Annetta Schmid (1972–1974), (1974–1982), and since Helga Schauerte. The church is a venue of church music concerts. In 2014, the

J. S. Bach-Stiftung The J. S. Bach-Stiftung, known in English as the J. S. Bach Foundation, is a Swiss foundation established in St. Gallen in 1999 to support the performance of the vocal works of Johann Sebastian Bach.

held a sold-out concert of three cantatas from Bach's ''

Christmas Oratorio The ''Christmas Oratorio'' (German: ''Weihnachtsoratorium''), , is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It is in six parts, each part a cantata intended for performance on one of ...

'' which is rarely performed in Paris. The concert was repeated the following year. In 2016, three cantatas from the oratorio were performed by the

Neue Bachgesellschaft The Neue Bachgesellschaft, or New Bach Society, is an organisation based in Leipzig, Germany, devoted to the music of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. It was founded in 1900 as the successor to the Bach Gesellschaft, which between 1850 and 1900 ...

, with German soloists and the chamber choir Les Temperamens Variations, conducted by Thibault Lam Quang. The group performed the complete oratorio there on 8 December 2019, with

Jan Kobow Jan Kobow (born 1966) is a German classical tenor in concert, Lied, and Baroque opera. Professional career Jan Kobow was born and raised in Berlin. He was a singer and soloist of the ''Staats- und Domchor, Berlin'' with Christian Grube. He studi ...

as the

Evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a com ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures in the 9th arrondissement of Paris Protestant churches in Paris