Augsburg: St Anton

1924 – 1927

Architect: Michael Kurz

Imhofstraße 47, Augsburg, Germany

The three-nave, reinforced concrete and brick St. Anton basilica with a two-tower façade was built between 1924 and 1927 according to plans by architect Michael Kurz in the Antonsviertel district of Augsburg.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 4 November 1924, and the church was consecrated on 26 May 1927.

Church Building

In the 1920s, architect Michael Kurz was already a renowned church builder in Augsburg, having constructed the Art Nouveau Herz Jesu Church.

For the construction of Sankt Anton, Kurz used second and third choice Bockhorn clinker from Oldenburg, which gave the facades a pronounced plasticity and an expressive interplay of colours and shapes.

To work on the church, Kurz hired a foreman and several masons who had previously worked on Fritz Höger’s Chilehaus in Hamburg.

Sculpture

The clinker-fired figures of the four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, above the main portal, were created by the Munich sculptor Karl Baur.

The gilded figure of St. Anthony on the projecting corner of the porch above the portal is the work of the Augsburg sculptor Fritz Beck.

Interior

The interior of St. Anthony’s Church is supported by 34 reinforced concrete pillars, which give the building a uniform, rhythmic structure.

The concrete is uncoated and was only lightly slurried and tinted for this purpose.

The ceiling is lined with a wooden slat construction based on the Zollinger system, which was previously used primarily in industrial and trade fair construction.

The large wooden crucifix was created by Karl Baur in 1929.

The following year, the two side altars were erected and the stained glass windows were installed.

The altar of St Theresa was installed in 1933 and the pulpit, designed by sculptor Karl Baur, was built the following year.

Also by Karl Baur are the choir organ, the altar of St. Anthony and the Evangelist figures, all from 1935.

In 1936, Albert Burkart, an artist from Munich, painted the Antonius Chapel.

Redesign

Following the Second Vatican Council, it became possible to move the altar closer to the congregation.

Between 1969 and 1970, the altar area was carefully redesigned by architect Alfred Back and sculptor Stefan Geiger.

The altar island was retained but made lower. Some rows of benches were removed, and a simple sacrificial altar was installed.

Having survived the war undamaged, the building is now a listed monument.