The Village Church of Stiepel

"Its rich paintings created from the 12th to the 16th centuries make this village church unique in Westphalia. In particular its almost 800 year old paintings from the early days of the church give it an importance reaching far across the borders of Germany." (Hilde Clausen, Landesdenkmalamt Münster)

This church situated in Bochum-Stiepel, a suburb with mainly village-like characteristics, is located in an idyllic setting surrounded by its historic church yard full of old trees. 1000 years ago, Imma, the wife of Count Luitger from the Billunger family and a sister of Bishop Meinwerk from Paderborn, had a church built for her use on her private property in Stiepel. This first single-nave church was replaced by a basilica of Romanesque style during the 12th century. Later in the 15th century it was extended to the hall church of today. Its multiform and colorful paintings of the interior provide this cultural monument in the Ruhr Valley with a special importance that extends beyond the German borders. Since the Reformation Era, the village church of Stiepel has been a protestant church presenting itself today also as a cultural center for Bochum and the region.
 

Parish profile

The main emphasis of the parish activity is determined by this 1000 years old cultural monument. Large numbers of regular services are conducted in accordance with protestant traditions for sermons, joint singing and music. Special presentations include worship services with cantata, chamber music events and organ concerts. The village church is an especially favored place for weddings, baptism, and also services for private events. Many visitors from all over Germany and abroad are expertly guided through the church year by year.

Open church and church tours

Our church is open every day except Monday as a place for personal prayer, silence and meditation.
Visitors to the cultural monument are also invited to stay in the church and discover this special space.

Opening hours

Daily, except Monday

March to October: 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.

November to February: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

If you are interested in supporting the Open Church team, please contact Mr Neumann (phone +49 234 702369)

Church tours

You can book church tours for groups or individuals. Members of our parish explain the history of the building and the village of Stiepel and invite you to discover the fascinating Romanesque wall paintings.
Church tours can also be combined with a short organ concert, which must be booked separately. For group tours we ask for a donation to preserve the Stiepeler Dorfkirche. For larger groups, it is also possible to have coffee afterwards in the parish hall.

For further information please contact our Gemeindebüro.