St Josef’s Burial Church

A platform elevates this section and creates a seamless transition to the choir, merging the altar room and community space into one.

The sepulchres are inspired by the vibrant colours of March Chagall’s paintings. The colourful gravestones are a reference to church windows suffused with light.
We have designed the motifs on the gravestones in our architectural office. All plates are hand-made, unique glass paintings. Red and blue hues dominate the design. The burial chambers of the northern chapel and the first area beyond the church entrance are special. Their gravestones are white, black and blue – the traditional colours of the Borussia Mönchengladbach football club. This emphasises the partnership with the team.

The former St Josef’s church has been transformed into a burial church for football fans, featuring a memorial to Marc Chagall. It is doubtlessly unique to Mönchengladbach. Visitors access the church through the new, barrier-free entrance. Besides staircases and ramps, the entrance area features seating elements allowing relatives and visitors to spend their time. The former pews have been replaced with sepulchres. They shape the room and respond to the construction pattern of the building. Additional sepulchres are located along the outer walls. This creates chapel-like alcoves that gently structure the spacious church room without splitting it up.
The northern chapel also contains sepulchres. Visiting relatives and loved ones of the deceased can make use of the entire central nave. It contains seats for farewell masses and memorial services and offers space for contemplation and reflection. A platform elevates this section and creates a seamless transition to the choir, merging the altar room and community space into one.

The sepulchres are inspired by the vibrant colours of March Chagall’s paintings. The colourful gravestones are a reference to church windows suffused with light.
We have designed the motifs on the gravestones in our architectural office. All plates are hand-made, unique glass paintings. Red and blue hues dominate the design. The burial chambers of the northern chapel and the first area beyond the church entrance are special. Their gravestones are white, black and blue – the traditional colours of the Borussia Mönchengladbach football club. This emphasises the partnership with the team.