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Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Düsseldorf District

Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf

Kreis Wesel

Hamminkeln

St. Pankratius Church Dingden

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Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Düsseldorf District

Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf

Kreis Wesel

Hamminkeln

St. Pankratius Church Dingden

Highlight • Religious Site

St. Pankratius Church Dingden

Recommended by 47 cyclists out of 54

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Naturpark Hohe Mark - Westmünsterland

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Location: Hamminkeln, Kreis Wesel, Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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Top cycling routes to St. Pankratius Church Dingden

4.7

(85)

295

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1. Bocholter Aa – Habers Mill loop from Dingden

55.3km

03:20

140m

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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4.8

(23)

171

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2. Stork Nest Kesseldorf – Dingdener Heath loop from Dingden

38.5km

02:18

60m

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

4.7

(41)

203

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3. Aasee (Bocholt) – Dingdener Heath loop from Hamminkeln

35.9km

02:17

60m

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

Tips

Karin 🌍

May 17, 2025

St. Pancras Church is located in the village center, surrounded by the streets "Am Kirchplatz", "Thingstraße", and "Pater-Terörde-Weg".
A wooden chapel stood on this site as early as the year 1000. At that time, St. Pancras became its patron saint. (Pancras: martyr of the early church; beheaded in Rome around 304 AD; in 985 AD, his remains were transferred from Rome to Ghent in Flanders; from then on, his fame grew in the Rhineland and Münsterland regions; he is one of the five Ice Saints and is honored on May 12th.) As the village grew, so did the rights of the chapel parish of Dingden. Dingden existed as an independent parish even before 1230. It was first mentioned as such in 1313. Until the North Rhine-Westphalian regional reform in 1975, Dingden was an independent Westphalian municipality and today belongs to the Rhenish town of Hamminkeln.

In the early 12th century, the Knights of Dingden built a stone Romanesque church on their main farm, replacing the first wooden chapel. Today's church tower, Dingden's landmark, is four stories high and constructed from Eifel tuff and exhibits Rhenish Romanesque forms. The use of round arches is typical of this architectural style. In figures: height: 43.32 m, area: 8.21 m x 8.21 m, wall thickness: 1.80 m at the bottom and 1.00 m at the top. The church tower was also built as a defensive tower. In times of war, it served as a refuge and storage facility for farmers and villagers. When raiding or warring troops approached, the church offered protection and security. Narrow windows and loopholes still recall this original function today. Lightning-fast arrows drove the attackers into flight.

Sandstone cornices separate the different storeys of varying height. Above the heavy main cornice is an eight-sided, tall, slated helmet, which was originally lower (Romanesque form). The nave was built in the 15th century. The church was repeatedly destroyed by war and fire. As the number of believers grew, the church was converted into a three-aisled basilica between 1823 and 1829. In 1945, the nave was destroyed by bombs, but only the tower survived. Reconstruction began quickly, and the newly built parish church was consecrated in 1950.
Sources: Brass plate on the tower, Advent parish newsletter 2103, Wikipedia, and Dingden Local History Society

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Karin 🌍

May 17, 2025

After World War II, the architect Walter Kremer from Duisburg planned a simple hall church without pillars and with a small adoration chapel. Craftsmen from Dingden participated, and schoolchildren helped with the stonework. The building was constructed using bricks from Lanker and was consecrated on October 4, 1950.

(Source: Advent Parish Newsletter 2013)

From the outside, the tower and main body form a single unit. It looks different inside. The tower is a separate chapel. You cannot enter the nave, but instead walk around the outside through the side entrance or the main gate.

(Source: Advent Parish Newsletter 2013)

The interior is divided into a wide nave and a low north aisle separated by a round-arch arcade, recognizable from the outside by its lower roof pitch. This makes St. Pankratius today a pseudo-basilica.

(Source: Wikipedia)

During the planning and construction of the church, there was much discussion: "Where is the front, where is the back?" Normally, the altar faces east. In Dingden, it was placed on the west side. This was primarily for practical reasons, as the new main entrance was relocated from the church tower side (west) to the village side (east).

Shortly after its construction, the high altar was dismantled. The Seifert organ was installed in 1974. During a later renovation, the altar was moved back a little to the east so that the faithful could sit closer to the altar. The tower is now once again integrated into the church space. Now it is once again at the center of things, rather than just an aside. The oil paintings of the Stations of the Cross once again adorn the side wall of the church. They stood in the cemetery under the roof until the 1980s.

(Source: Advent Parish Newsletter 2013)

FURNISHINGS:

>Octagonal, chalice-shaped baptismal font from the early 16th century.

>Vesper picture from the first third of the 15th century.

>Organ with 1,658 pipes; built in 1974 by Seifert from Kevelaer.

>Bells in the tower: Of the old bells, only the Jesus-Mary bell from 1649 (tone E) still survives. All the others fell victim to World War II and were melted down. The other three bells were reacquired in 1948 and ring on the tones G, A, and B.

>Abstractly designed church windows by Trude Dinnendahl-Benning depict symbolic motifs.

>Mary in a halo.

>Sorrowful Mother of God.

>The golden Risen Christ above the altar.

(Source: Wikipedia and Advent Parish Newsletter 2013)

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Elevation 30 m

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Location: Hamminkeln, Kreis Wesel, Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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St. Pankratius Church Dingden

1. Bocholter Aa – Habers Mill loop from Dingden

2. Stork Nest Kesseldorf – Dingdener Heath loop from Dingden

3. Aasee (Bocholt) – Dingdener Heath loop from Hamminkeln

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