Philipp Tebart & Djana Tirai

St. Paul’s church in Aachen is one station of the Route Charlemagne, a project of the Euregionale 2008. On account of demographic changes, St. Paul is meant to be converted.

As a historic monument St. Paul’s should become a symbol of traditional and societal changes and in allusion to the sensitive issue of the conversion of churches, the conceptual design suggests an innovative museum of religion and Christianity. An appealing site is established, which addresses this very subject and in addition creates a prestigious venue for various events.

The concept takes on the historic location of the Dominican church as a secluded building by completing the urbanistic space with a monolithic wing closed off from the street. The gesture of exclusiveness and the partial occlusion of the church are supposed to broach the issue of the dismantling of chapels.

The museum consists of two main elements. The front building of the museum complex houses the permanent exhibition on three levels. It displays the beginning of Christianity, leading to the Middle Ages up until Modern Times. A ramp along the glass front connects the three levels, providing an exterior view on the church, thus the church itself becomes an object of the exhibition.

The glass corridor gives access to the sanctuary. The original space remains untouched by installing a “pavilion” into the central aisle while leaving enough room for various events and concerts, apart from temporary exhibitions. The highly mechanized construction is purely functional and stands in high contrast to the church interior.

The architectural marks imply a spacious installation for a seemingly temporary utilization. A design characterized by a functional construction, exhausting the tension between a sacral monument and a secular building carefully displaying the significant discussion on the conversion of churches.

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