The Catholic St. Michael's Church in Frankfurt's Nordend is converted into the first burial church for urns in Hesse. In the future, the previous funeral church will also offer the possibility of burying up to a total of 2500 urns. "We want to create a place where you can deal with death and grief and talk to other mourners," says Verena Maria Kitz, head of the Center for Grief Care.

The urns, which are provided with personal information, are to be arranged in walk-in cylinders up to 2.50 meters high. These should have different radii and be arranged "playfully" in the interior of the church. The architects have designed a round and a rectangular variant of the urn compartments, which are to alternate between the cylinders.

Due to its proximity to the main cemetery, the listed church offers good conditions for a funeral church, says Verena Kitz. Bereaved relatives and mourners could visit a safe, dry and barrier-free place of burial. "The culture of mourning has changed dramatically." Not everyone can go to the trouble of caring for a grave. Urn burial offers an uncomplicated and aesthetic alternative.

Transition from the worldly to the eternal

The architectural office "Meixner Schlüter Wendt" based its winning design on the geometric shapes of the church. The original architect Rudolf Schwarz designed the church, built in 1954, as a rounded cross shape with a long elliptical nave. "The church interior should not suffer from the design, but be enriched," says Claudia Meixner, managing director of the architect's office.

It was particularly important to take up the ring shape. For Schwarz, the open ring represented a transition from the worldly to the eternal. For the redesign, they had coordinated with the widow of the deceased architect and the monument protection.

Through the middle of the long nave, a clear view of the altar remains, so that the space can continue to be used. In the future, the sanctuary will be used for funeral ceremonies, which can also be transmitted digitally for the bereaved. The neighbouring Centre for Bereavement Care also offers grief counselling.

The church can also host appropriate cultural events such as readings, concerts or exhibitions. The ring shape is also to be taken up in the exterior of the church. A pavilion and seating are to be built on the forecourt.

Construction is scheduled to begin at the end of the year and take about ten months. The costs of the project amount to 3.1 million euros, almost half of which will be borne by the Diocese of Limburg. The remaining costs are to be refinanced by the prices of the urns. An urn costs 2650 euros and should be able to be used for up to 15 years. 500 of the 2500 ballot boxes should be available for low-income people for 1500 euros. Registration for an election place should also be possible for non-Catholics.