Sankt Michael

St. Michael in Aachen is an important testament to Jesuit history and Rhenish Mannerism. Built between 1617 and 1628, it originally served as the monastery church of the Jesuit community re-established in 1601. The three-aisled galleried basilica, with its distinctive net vault that more closely resembles a barrel vault, has been attributed stylistically to the architect Christoph Wamser. Of particular note is the tower on the front end of the choir, oriented to the northwest, which was not added until between 1658 and 1668, after the city fire of 1656. The vertical facade of Aachen bluestone remained unfinished in the 17th century and was not completed until the late 19th century, in the Neo-Renaissance style. The niches of this facade once held statues of Jesuit saints; today only empty, illuminated niches remain.

The building's history is marked by changing uses. After the dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1773, the church served for a time as a granary before becoming a Catholic parish church again in 1804. St. Michael was severely damaged in World War II by bomb hits that destroyed the tower, roof vaulting, and walls. Reconstruction was completed by 1951. Since 1987, the church has belonged to the Greek Orthodox congregation of Agios Dimitrios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Germany. The interior was remodeled accordingly and painted in stages with ecumenically inspired frescoes depicting scenes such as Pentecost and the Divine Liturgy, among others. An iconostasis and a bishop's throne round out the Orthodox look.

Today, St. Michael offers visitors a varied experience. Besides Orthodox and ecumenical services, the church interior is a popular concert venue thanks to its pleasant acoustics. Various Aachen choirs and orchestras, including the Aachener Bachverein and the Collegium Musicum of RWTH Aachen University, perform here regularly. The square in front of the church was upgraded in 2004 to strengthen its connection to the historic building. An underground crypt where the Jesuits buried their dead can now be reached via the boiler room and recalls the site's earlier role as a center of Jesuit education.