Cologne, April 2026
Unveiling of the restored Helena Window in Cologne Cathedral
The photo shows (from left to right): Cathedral Master Builder Peter Füssenich, Cathedral Provost Msgr. Guido Assmann, Dr. Stefan Koch, CEO of the Klosterfrau Group, and Prof. Dr. Barbara Schock-Werner, President of the Zentral-Dombau-Verein (ZDV)
To mark its 200th anniversary, the Klosterfrau Group is making a special gesture to demonstrate its connection to its founding city, Cologne. In collaboration with the Zentral-Dombau-Verein (ZDV) and the Cologne Cathedral Workshop, the historic Helena Window in the Cologne Cathedral has been extensively restored and officially unveiled.
The 17-meter-high and 6.5-meter-wide Helena Window in Cologne Cathedral (shown in the photo on the left).
The rising incense enhances the play of light during the blessing.
The Helena Window is part of the series of world windows from 1870 to 1880 in the cathedral’s south transept, which was partially destroyed during World War II. Since 2004, the glass workshop of the Cologne Cathedral Building Guild has been reconstructing the surviving fragments. The restored Helena Window depicts Saints Helena, Monica, Elizabeth, and Matilda. The historical design is complemented by modern elements such as selected medicinal plants, which create a connection between tradition and the present.
To mark its 200th anniversary, the Klosterfrau Group funded the extensive restoration of the window, thereby underscoring its close ties to Cologne, the city where it was founded. The ceremonial blessing of the reconstructed Helena Window took place on April 14 in collaboration with the Zentral-Dombau-Verein and the Cologne Cathedral Building Guild.
The Klosterfrau Group Award
Since 2001, the International Klosterfrau Group Award for Research of Airway Diseases in Childhood has been awarded annually on the initiative of Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Dietrich Reinhardt, the International Klosterfrau Group Award for Research of Airway Diseases in Childhood has been awarded annually. Valued at 30,000 euros, the prize honors scientists whose research has significantly contributed to the basic research, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood asthma.