Church of St. Lambertus, Immerath

A church dedicated to Saint Lambert of Maastricht existed on the site in the 12th century, since it is mentioned in the Liber valoris (an ecclesiastical register of the Archdiocese of Cologne). It was a Romanesque building with a single nave and a bell tower on the western side. In around the mid-16th century, the church was rebuilt in the Gothic style, and it had two naves, a choir and a chapel in the northern aisle. A Baroque bell tower was added between 1767 and 1770, and it contained old bells dating back to 1496 and 1512.[1]

The church's façade in 2014

By the early 19th century, the church had become too small for the needs of the parish, but the expansion was postponed several times due to internal disagreement within the community and other obstacles, while minor works such as the purchase of new altars and an organ were undertaken. From 1886, three proposals for the new church were presented, but they were discarded by the parish community until the designs of the young architect Erasmus Schüller from Cologne were accepted with slight modifications on 12 January 1887. The old church was demolished in April 1888, and the construction of the new one started on 2 September of the same year. Schüller died in 1890 at the age of 29, so the final stages of construction were supervised by the architect Theodor Roß. The church was consecrated by the Archbishop of Cologne on 9 July 1891.[1]

The church was badly damaged by artillery fire in February 1945, during World War II.[1] Repair works began in the following year, and were completed in 1949. The bells had been sent to Hamburg at the beginning of the war, and they were returned to the church in 1947. The church was added to the list of heritage monuments in Erkelenz on 14 May 1985 due to its architectural and symbolic value.[1]

Demolition on 9 January 2018

Replacement church in Immerath-Neu

The village of Immerath was on the planned route for the extension of the Garzweiler surface mine, a large lignite mine operated by the company RWE.[2] The entire village was therefore demolished in the 2010s, with the company building a new settlement known as Immerath-Neu 11 km (6.8 mi) away as its replacement.[3] The cemetery was also moved, with bodies being exhumed and transferred to the new site.[2][3]

Maintaining the costs of the church had become too burdensome given the considerable decline of the faithful to fewer than 60 people. The parishioners therefore accepted the company's offer to build a new smaller church in the new town Immerath-Neu. Most of the old church's interior furnishings were purchased by private individuals or by other parishes or religious congregations.[4] The last Mass in the church was celebrated on 13 October 2013, and it was subsequently deconsecrated.[5] The building was demolished on 9 January 2018, amidst protests by Greenpeace activists.[3]