Franz Schwechten designed the original church in the Neo-Romanesque style, modeled on Bonn Minster. The foundation stone was laid on March 22, 1891, and the church was dedicated on September 1, 1895. The planned spire of 371 feet (113 m) was cut to 233 feet (71 m). An air raid on the night of November 22, 1943, left the spire and much of the entrance hall standing as a ruin.
Egon Eiermann built a modernist ensemble of four buildings around the ruin from 1959 to 1963. The new church, consecrated on December 17, 1961, is an octagon 115 feet (35 m) wide and 67 feet (20.5 m) high. Its concrete honeycomb walls hold 21,292 stained glass inlays designed by Gabriel Loire, predominantly blue and inspired by the colors of Chartres Cathedral. The hexagonal bell tower is 176 feet (53.5 m) high.
The ground floor of the old spire is now a memorial hall.
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