"The parish church is in the middle of the town.
The first church in Stadtkyll was built in 1022. It is the former St. Margaret's Chapel.
A church in Stadtkyll is mentioned in 1308. A new church was built in 1505, which was given the status of a parish church three years later. The fire in the town in 1632 also destroyed the church. It was rebuilt in 1634. In 1814, the village and church were again destroyed by fire. In 1823/24, the church was rebuilt according to plans by the Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. An even bigger fire raged in 1854, reducing the church and village to ashes once again.
In the following years, the church was rebuilt according to Schinkel's old plans. Apart from some damage during the Second World War, it has been preserved to this day.
The church is a brightly plastered rectangular building. Large arched windows on the long sides of the church ensure that the interior is flooded with light. The tower and entrance façade on the west side are the exterior showpieces. The reddish-colored architectural elements are particularly striking here. A main entrance, flanked by two side entrances, leads into the interior of the church. The interior is painted white. There are beautiful plant and animal ornaments in the transition area between the walls and the ceiling. The chancel is separated from the wide nave by a semicircular apse. The altar comes from the Wahlholzkirche Morbach-Hunoldstein and was installed here in 1966/67. In addition to the main altar, there is also a celebration altar in the church. There are several statues in the church. At the front, on the left in the nave, is Our Lady with the Child Jesus. On the other side is the church patron St. Joseph with a model of the church. At the back of the church are several statues of saints, including a statue of St. Matthias.
The church windows have beautiful stained glass depicting St. Anne, St. Barbara, St. Agnes, St. Michael on the left-hand side and St. Joseph, St. George, St. Tarcisius and St. John on the right-hand side. The small side windows in the side entrances show St. Elizabeth and St. Cecilia on the left and St. Thomas More and Brother Conrad on the right. Six large panels hang between the windows in the nave. They were painted for the church of the Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein fortress. After the destruction of the church in the Second World War, the paintings were removed. When Stadtkyll redesigned its parish church, the paintings were returned. Five pictures show the mysteries of the Joyful Rosary, the sixth the Adoration of the Magi. Four wooden reliefs hang in the side aisles. They depict the birth of Christ, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus with the Samaritan women at the well and the entry into Jerusalem. In the left side entrance there is an icon of Mary, the Perpetual Help. At the back of the nave is a gallery, supported at the front by four round wooden pillars. On it is the organ, which was last restored in 1998.
History:
The first mention of a parish in the Stadtkyll area dates back to 1100. The parish was probably initially based in Niederkyll. When Stadtkyll became increasingly important with its market rights, the parish seat was moved there. In 1505, the church in Stadtkyll was designated as the parish church. At that time, Stadtkyll, Niederkyll, Schönfeld and three houses of Glaadt (until 1687) formed the parish. For centuries, it was part of the Eifel deanery of the Archdiocese of Cologne. When the French reorganized the ecclesiastical administrative boundaries in 1803, the parish was transferred to the diocese of Trier. At the same time, it was extended to include most of Kerschenbach, which had previously belonged to Kronenburg. To this day, the parish, which consists of the parish of Stadtkyll and the branches of Schönfeld, Niederkyll and Kerschenbach, has remained in the diocese of Trier and belongs to the Gerolstein-Hillesheim deanery. In 1022, a citizen built the first church on the left bank of the Kyll. It is the former St. Margaret's Chapel, then a cemetery chapel and today a mortuary. A church in Stadtkyll is mentioned in 1308. In 1505, a new church was built, which was given the status of a parish church three years later. In 1632, a fire destroyed the church and the village of Stadtkyll. The church was rebuilt in 1634.
In 1814, the church and village are again destroyed by fire. In 1823/24, the church is rebuilt according to plans by the Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. 1854 An even bigger fire destroys the church and the village. In the following years, the church was rebuilt according to Schinkel's old plans. It survived the Second World War largely unscathed. In 1988, a fountain was erected on the square to the left of the church. At the top of a square stele stands a bronze figure of the church patron St. Joseph. This is why the fountain is also called St. Joseph's Fountain. The interior was extensively renovated in 1996. The plaster and windows were repaired and the paintwork renewed. The interior, including a new altar, was redesigned. In 1997, the church was given a new weathercock. In 1999/2000, a Marian grotto was erected on the square to the right of the church."
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