The three most common types of churches in Hagen, Germany are Christian churches, synagogues, and mosques. Christian churches have evolved over 2000 years and include Catholic and Protestant designs. Synagogues vary in architecture but contain features like the bimah and ark. Mosques include elements such as minarets, domes, and prayer halls oriented towards Mecca. Each religious building type reflects the practices of its faith like weekly services, sacred texts, rituals, and directions of prayer.

1. Churches in Hagen
Overview of the common types of churches in
Hagen

2. The three most common types of churches in Hagen are:
Christian churches
Synagogues
Mosques

3. Catholic and protestant
churches
Catholic St.-Marien-
Church
Protestant Paulus
Church

4. • Evolved over 2000 years, partly by innovation and partly
by imitating other architectural styles as well as
responding to changing beliefs, practices and local
traditions
• 16th century: Drastic changes to curch design following
the Reformation: According to the ideals of the
Protestant reformation, the spoken word, the sermon,
should be central act in the church service. This implied
that the pulpit became the focal point of the church
interior and that churches should be designed to allow all
to hear and see the minister.
• Modern design: Space, lines, light and sound are the
essential components of the experience of architecture
and the most profound buildings have captured these
moments through thoughtfully orchestrated
design. Recently, architects that have designed churches
with these primary elements in mind have come under
criticism by the Vatican for diverting from the traditional
form and iconography of churches.
Architecture of christian churches

5. Christian Practices
Christian practices vary by denomination, but common elements include a Sunday worship service, private
and corporate prayer, study and reading of the Scriptures, and participation in rites such as baptism and
communion (known as sacraments).
Christian worship services generally include singing, prayer and a sermon. Most churches have a special ritual
for ordination, or designating a person fit for a leadership position in the church. At home, most practicing
Christians pray regularly and many read the Bible.
Many Christians will have been baptized, either as an infant or as an adult, and regularly participate in
communion (also called the Lord's Supper and the Eucharist). Baptism and communion are considered
sacraments - sacred rituals instituted by Christ himself. The Catholic Church recognizes five additional
sacraments, as well as many other distinctive practices that are known as "sacramentals" or "devotions" and
include praying the rosary and going on pilgrimages.
Distinctive Catholic practices include recognition of seven total sacraments, Sunday mass, devotion to the
Virgin Mary and the saints, and veneration of relics and places associated with holy figures. Eastern
Orthodoxy holds many practices in common with Catholicism, but is especially distinguished by the central
role of icons: ornate images of Christ and the saints believed to provide a connection to the spiritual world.

6. Synagogues
Architecture
• No set blueprint
• architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues
vary greatly
• Often influenced by other local religious buildings
• All synagogues contain a "bimah", a raised platform
where the table of the rabbi is found
• The Torah Ark is a cabinet in which the Torah scrolls are
kept.
• The ark in a synagogue is almost always positioned in
such a way that those who face it are facing towards
Jerusalem
Synagogue in Hohenlimburg

7. Jewish practices
In Judaism, rituals and religious observances are grounded in
Jewish law (halakhah, lit. "the path one walks." An elaborate
framework of divine mitzvot, or commandments, combined
with rabbinic laws and traditions, this law is central to
Judaism.
Halakhah governs not just religious life, but daily life, from
how to dress to what to eat to how to help the poor.
Observance of halakhah shows gratitude to God, provides a
sense of Jewish identity and brings the sacred into everyday
life.
In addition, the Jewish religion recognizes several significant
occasions in a person's life. While many times the individual
is the focus of the festivities, the family, and in many cases
the entire community, participate in the commemoration.
These special events are some of the most important
practices of Judaism.

8. Mosques
Parts of a mosque:
• Minaret: a slim tower which is a distinctive
traditional feature of a mosque
• Dome: no spiritual or symbolic significance; purely
aesthetic
• Prayer Hall: also called "musalla"; worshippers sit,
kneel, and bow directly on the floor to pray
• Mihrab: ornamental, semi-circular indentation in
the wall of the prayer room of a mosque that
marks the direction facing Mecca
• Minbar: raised platform in the front area of a
mosque prayer hall, from which sermons or
speeches are given
• Ablution area: a space, where running water is
available, often with small stools or seats to make it
easier to sit down to wash the feet
Architecture
Hagen Mosque

9. Muslim practices
Certain sacred practices and rituals are very important to Muslims. They are a significant way that followers of
Islam remember history, express conviction, and grow in devotion.
Some rituals are practiced daily, like prayer; others are practiced annually, like those aligned with specific Islamic
holidays. The religious practices and rituals of Islam are relatively few in number, but great in importance. The
Five Pillars of Islam are five practices regarded by all sects of the Islamic religion as essential to the Muslim faith.
Islam is a religion that is approximately 1,400 years old, having been founded by Muhammad in the 600's A.D.
Muhammad's teachings were complied after he died by his followers and makeup the sacred text for Muslim,
called the Quran. Islam is one of the largest religions in the world at the beginning of the 21st century.

10. Sources:
• www.religionfacts.com
• www.wikipedia.org
• www.thoughtco.com
• www.hagen.de
• Google images