Abraham's Church in Welleringhausen

The village of Welleringhausen is over 1000 years old (it celebrated its millennium in 1990). The church, built in a purely Romanesque style using rubble masonry, dates back to the end of the 12th century or the first half of the 13th century. A dendrochronological examination of the roofs over the parish hall and the choir revealed 1503 as the earliest possible construction date. However, the church only received its current name, "Abraham's Church," around the year 2000.

Whether it was actually built as a "fortified church," as is often argued with reference to the more than one-meter-thick walls, the massive stone vaults, and the shape and small number of window openings, is rather controversial.

And it's highly unlikely that it was founded by a nobleman named Abraham zu Welterkusen. He was only granted the church's patronage by Count Wilhelm von Arnsberg in 1313.

Three distinct structural elements – an almost square nave, the slightly recessed choir, and the west tower – give the church a distinctive Romanesque appearance, not least due to the gable roofs with the same pitch. The few windows were altered at a later date. The round arch between the nave and choir is a characteristic feature of Upland churches.

The baroque "furnishing" by Josias Wolrat Brützel at the end of the 17th century makes our church a precious gem among the village churches of Waldeck.