About
The history of this church dates back to 1928 when St. Sacrament purchased the property with the hopes of constructing a new church. However, the parish lacked the necessary funds to undertake the project.
During World War II, the property was taken over by the Nazi government to construct an air raid shelter for the population at Handweiser. The bunker was built to resemble a church so that it remained camouflaged while illegally on parish grounds. After the war, Carl Klinkhammer transformed the bunker into a fully functional church. Some of the bunker's massive ceilings and more than one meter thick walls had to be blasted through to complete construction. In 1952, a bell tower was installed composed of concrete to match the church, now commonly referred to as the Bunker Church.
In December 2015, the church was transferred from the Catholic parish to a Coptic parish. On May 12, 2019, Pope Tawadros II consecrated the Bunker Church as a Coptic Orthodox Church. Recently, the interior was refurbished with wood.
Related Tags
Community Contributors
Added By
Published
November 19, 2019