St. Dionysius Church
First mentioned in 1184
The patron saint of the Catholic parish church in Seppenrade is St. Dionysius. He was one of the first missionaries in France and served as Bishop of Paris. Dionysius - or as they say in France, Denis - is venerated as a martyr and is buried in the monastery of St. Denis near Paris. According to tradition, he took his head in his hands after being put to the sword and walked to the place where he wanted to be buried.
The village of Seppenrade has a long history. This can also be seen in the parish of St. Dionysius, which was first mentioned in a document in 1184. The existing parish church in the center of the village was built between 1882 and 1885. This building had several predecessors in which different architectural styles were used. There is evidence of Romanesque and late Gothic building elements. The present church is built in neo-Gothic style. The bricks used were fired in Lüdinghausen. Cornices and other stones do not come from the local Baumberge mountains, as one might expect, but from the Eifel.
The church has three naves and offers visitors a large space. The eye-catcher is the church tower, which can be seen from afar. The tower was renovated at great expense only a few years ago. Inside the church, the wall paintings and stained glass windows are striking. The figurative windows come from near Liège in Belgium. Some elements of the predecessor churches are particularly worth seeing. These include the relief of St. Paul and a tomb. The relief dates back to the 15th century. The tomb is dedicated to Pastor Heinrich Schahausz, who was particularly popular for his visits to people suffering from the plague. He drowned in the Stever in 1627. The baptismal font from 1635 and a Pieta in the tower room are also of interest. The church bells date from 1634, 1678, 1794 and 1925.
St. Dionysius Church, Kirchplatz 6, 59348 Lüdinghausen-Seppenrade
