St. Nikomedes church

Catholic parish church (1885-94) in the city centre of Borghorst

The Borghorst church square is dominated by St. Nikomedes Church with its 95 m high tower. The church was built between 1885 and 1894 on the site of the church of Borghorst Convent. Boasting a length of 80 m and a floor area of 2,200 m, it is one of the largest churches in the Münster diocese. The architect was Hilger Hertel the Elder from Münster, at that time one of the most renowned ecclesiastical architects. However, he died during construction, and the church was completed by his son, Hilger Hertel the Younger. In accordance with the mood of the times, the architects harked back to the forms of 14th century Gothicism.

Visitors are surprised by the size and spaciousness of the church's hall-shaped interior. The large windows were re-glazed by the Leverkusen artist Paul Weigmann between 1978 and 1985, who attempted to echo the neo-Gothic style elements represented in the church structure itself. The pillars appear extremely slender, given the size and height of the structure. The celebration altar was created by Hubert Teschlade in 1965. The high altar in the choir is a square brass top created by the Telgt artist Hans Dinnendahl between the years 1948 and 1950. Here one can see clearly how German post-war sculpture once again connected with the expressionist style elements of European art before the war. To the right and left of the choir are wooden altars dedicated to St. Dominic and St. Francis; both date back to the time the church was built.

The interior of the current church includes a few objects dating back to the old convent church. These include the Romanesque baptismal stone in the Bentheim style, dating back to around 1170, as well as a depiction of Mary's lamentation from around 1430. A painted sandstone statuette depicting "Mary being instructed by her mother Anna" can be traced back to around 1450/70. Two stone works by the Osnabrück master craftsman Evert van Roden, dating back to the second quarter of the 16th century, also deserve mentioned: a Christ torso and a depiction of Mary's lamentation.

In 1985, the so-called convent chamber was established in the old sacristy, on the north side of the choir. It owes its origins to the "idea of a new preservation", which focuses on visual-theological links, in contrast to purely aesthetic, museum-like establishments.

A side entrance leads to the so-called convent chapel. This is the chapter house of the former convent, which was attached to the church in 1968, during Borghorst's millennial celebrations. The interior was decorated by the Rheinens sculptor Josef Krautwald.