Sankt Peter, Spiekeroog

St. Peter is the Roman Catholic church on the East Frisian island of Spiekeroog. It was completed and consecrated in 1970 according to a design by Walter Bunsmann in collaboration with Jörn Rau, making it the youngest of the East Frisian Catholic island churches.

About forty Catholics live on Spiekeroog. St. Peter's is the only Catholic church besides two Protestant churches on Spiekeroog, the Old Island Church and the larger new Protestant church built in the early 1960s. The church on a dune overlooking the lake was built to provide a "spiritual sea marker" especially for the increasing number of vacationers. It has the shape of a polygonal pyramid or Indian tent, with the top moved from the center of the base. The copper roof reaches to the ground and is pierced by three narrow strips of windows along its entire height.

Inside, the roof is covered with light wood. The altar area, which is advanced far into the center of the room, is not elevated, but only delimited by the floor design. Under the altar is the lowest point of the church, just below the peak of the tent roof. The altar and ambo are made of bronze and take up the symbolism of the tent roof or canvas. The altar, the lectern, the cross, the holy water font and the candlestick were commissioned for St. Peter's by Hermann Stehr, one of the most important artists in Schleswig-Holstein. The lamp hanging from the top of the tent roof, which reaches almost down to the altar and symbolically connects heaven and earth, was also made by Stehr.

The seating consists of wooden folding chairs that reinforce the motif of mobility and pilgrimage that underlies the entire structure. For each chair, the parishioners crocheted colorful seat cushions from wool scraps, each one unique.

The patronage of St. Peter the Apostle recalls biblical stories such as the storm at sea or the fisherman's word, but also the church's affiliation with the Osnabrück diocese.

In addition to regular services, the church is also a venue for concerts, choir performances, open singing evenings and Taizé devotions.