St. Laurentius Church (Siegtaldom) Windeck-Dattenfeld

The Roman Catholic parish church of St. Laurentius in Windeck-Dattenfeld was built in 1879-1880 instead of a previous building demolished in 1878 as a two-tower church in the neo-Romanesque style. Because of the double tower facade (tower height 56 m) the church is often called "Siegtaldom". The two lower floors of the north tower come from the old parish church from the 12/13. Century, which was originally only a chapel, but was extended to a three-aisled church with a length of approx. 25.60 m and a width of 7.85 m and was already consecrated to St. Lawrence of Rome.

The St. Lawrence Church in Windeck-Dattenfeld is also called Siegtaldom because of its double tower facade. The church is the only twin-towered church in the Rhein-Sieg district.
It was built from 1879 to 1880 on the site of the old parish church in the neo-Romanesque style. Thirty years ago the church was extensively renovated. The vaults in central and transept were renewed and the masonry was consolidated.
The St. Laurentius Church was planned and executed by the Cologne architect August Lange. The Romanesque north tower was elevated by one storey by Lange and completed by a dwarf gallery to adapt it to the newly built south tower.
Above the main portal is a simple eight-piece rose. In the north are two more side portals. Striking is the massive chancel, which is followed by a single-storey sacristy.
The St. Lawrence Church is a three-nave column basilica with ribbed vaulting. Principal choir and side choirs are increased. The baptistery is located in the old Romanesque north tower, whose floor is 16 cm lower than in the rest of the church. In the course of the new building at the end of the 19th century, a six-part fan window was let into the west wall. The high altar was designed by the Cologne sculptor Gotthilf Jaeger.
Since 2003, the St. Lawrence church has been home to a reconstruction of the so-called Dattenfeld Madonna. The original, one of the earliest Sitzmadonnen of the Gothic era, can be seen in Cologne's Kolumba Museum.

Saint Laurentius, to whom this imposing church with double tower facade in Dattenfeld in the Windecker Ländchen is dedicated, is one of the early Christian martyrs from a time when Christianity was still forbidden. He was archdeacon of the Pope and had been asked by the pagan emperor to hand over the treasure to the church. Laurentius asked for three days, but distributed the church property among the poor inhabitants of Rome and after the agreed time came with the poor to the emperor to present them to him as the treasure of the church. Thereupon he was tortured to death, legend has it that he was alive on a grate - this attribute can be seen in many depictions of St. Lawrence - roasted over coals. He is said to have been of good cheer and told his executioner, on the one hand, whether he would not turn it around.
The feast day of Laurentius in the calendar of saints is on August 10th.