Faith. Tradition. Commerce. Worldwide.
Founded in 1889
The Beginnings in Hamburg
The story of the Lunexus Devotional Company began in 1889 in Hamburg’s Free Port.
The trading house was founded by Konrad Elias Morgenstern (1857–1922), a Hanseatic merchant, and Salim Khoury (1869–1937), a Maronite Christian from Bethlehem.
Their shared goal: to meet the growing demand for Christian devotional items — crosses, rosaries, incense, and sacred art — by providing handcrafted goods from the Holy Land and European monasteries.
Hamburg, known as the Gateway to the World, offered the perfect logistical foundation for overseas trade with its newly established Sandtorkai and the German Levant Line.
The Rise of the Brand "LUNEXUS"
The name Lunexus combines lumen (light) and nexus (connection) — symbolizing the “connection in light.”
By the late 19th century, Lunexus was registered as a protected trademark.
Wooden crates marked with “LUNEXUS” traveled from Bethlehem via Jaffa to Hamburg, and from there to parishes, monasteries, and churches throughout Europe.
The Devotional Company maintained close relationships with workshops in:
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Bethlehem and Jerusalem – olive wood crosses and rosaries
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Nazareth – handmade rosaries
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Oberammergau and the Grödnertal (South Tyrol) – woodcarving art
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Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) – sacred art and woodcraft
Years of Prosperity and Challenges
Between 1890 and 1914, Lunexus experienced its first period of prosperity.
Important events, such as Emperor Wilhelm II’s journey to Jerusalem in 1898, led to a growing demand for devotional items.
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1914–1918: The First World War disrupted trade routes; the company relied on German and Austrian workshops to continue production.
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1923: During the hyperinflation period, Lunexus survived through foreign accounts and barter trade with monasteries.
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1933–1945: Political restrictions made the devotional trade difficult. Still, Lunexus remained active through neutral countries such as Switzerland, Portugal, and Argentina.
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1945–1959: After the war, reconstruction began at Brooktorkai. With Marshall Plan aid and new supply chains, Lunexus entered a second phase of growth.
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1960–1973: During the Second Vatican Council, demand for new liturgical furnishings increased. Showrooms in Cologne and Vienna expanded the company’s presence.
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1979: Following the sudden death of Bernhard K. Morgenstern (1928–1979), grandson of the founder, and amid rising freight costs due to the oil crises, the company ceased operations.
Decades of Silence (1980-2024)
From 1980 until the end of 2024, the Lunexus brand remained completely dormant.
The Morgenstern family preserved only the historic emblem, the company’s chronicles, and the memory of the Compagnie.
Rediscovery and New Beginning
In December 2024, Lunexus was rediscovered — almost by chance.
A lawyer and notary, a close associate of eMarkets Consulting GmbH, noticed a historic estate sale in Hamburg.
Among the business papers, he found the original emblem and the historic trademark “Lunexus Devotional Company.”
Around the same time, Gerold Jäger, operator of one of Germany’s first online shops for devotional items (motivationsgeschenke.de), retired for health reasons.
As he had long been a client of eMarkets, a unique opportunity arose: the Lunexus brand and the established online business became connected.
LUNEXUS Today and Tomorrow
Since 2025, the brand has officially reappeared under its historical name:
Lunexus Devotional Company – Est. 1889.
The website lunexus.world now unites more than 130 years of the company’s tradition with the modern opportunities of online commerce.
A key milestone was the re-registration of the brand “Lunexus” with the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA).
This ensured that the historic heritage would not only be preserved but also legally carried into the 21st century.
Currently, the brand operates under the umbrella of eMarkets Consulting GmbH, with future plans to establish a dedicated German trading company — Lunexus Handelsgesellschaft mbH — to continue this legacy in an independent form.
Under the stewardship of eMarkets Consulting GmbH and its managing director Denis M. Klug, Lunexus unites two great currents:
the heritage of the founders Konrad Elias Morgenstern and Salim Khoury, and the life’s work of Gerold Jäger, one of the pioneers of digital devotional trade. Thus, a bridge emerges between past, present, and future.
Today, Lunexus leads the trade in devotional and sacred goods into the age of e-commerce.
With over 130 years of tradition and experience, the company aims to expand its reach across Europe and beyond — combining Hanseatic business integrity with modern digital entrepreneurship.
The photograph shows the founders in Hamburg, 1911 -
Salim Khoury (left) & Konrad Elias Morgenstern (right)
Source: Photo archive of the Morgenstern family
