St. Gregorius im Elend

St. Gregor's received the name »Elendskirche« (Church of the Wretched) due to its location where strangers, heretics, the homeless, and the poor found their final resting place.

St. Gregorius im Elend
Address:	An St. Katharinen 5 50667 Cologne
Phone:	0221/314275
Remarks:	every Fri. at 7 p.m. a holy mass is held, otherwise the church is closed; guided tours on request are possible at any time
Milestones
1678	Jakob von Groote founded a family foundation for the celebration of a public mass in the chapel of St. Michael
1678	The chapel was expanded, and the new patron, St. Gregor, added
1764	New construction of the church was commissioned, and the construction led by Nikolaus Krakamp

Following the War, only the outside walls of the single-nave, vaulted brick building, built in the Rhenish rococo style, remained. It was reconstructed, albeit with plainer interior furnishings.

Particularly worth seeing is the grinning skull crowned with a tiara dating back to the 17th century which can be seen above the west portal. It clearly reminded people in its century that Death triumphs over everything superficial and earthly.