As party-goers rang in the New Year in the western German city of
Aachen early on Saturday morning, a fire at a the Nikolaus Church seems
to have caused irreparable damage to a historic altar.
Police suspect the fire was caused by a wayward New Year's Eve firework.
Dieter Spoo, a lay official of the Catholic Diocese of Aachen, said the damage was around 300,000 euro ($400,000).
Spoo said 17th-century paintings, stained-glass windows, and the
altar suffered damage in the fire.
The 8-meter back of the wooden altar
was completely destroyed, as was a painting on the front depicting the
crucifixion of Christ.
"I don't believe it can be restored," Spoo said.
The Gothic church was built in 1327, and the altar dates back to the
1630.
The paintings on the altar are attributed to the school of Peter
Paul Rubens, a Flemish artist.
The
altar had been the dominant feature of the Nikolaus Kirche in the inner
city of Aachen near the Dutch border.
The church is jointly used by
Catholic and Lutheran congregations.
SIC: DW/INT'L