Katharinen Church

The construction of St. Catherine's Church likely began after Oppenheim was granted city rights in 1225. Around 1258, the first Romanesque construction phases were completed, and in the same year, King Richard of Cornwall separated St. Catherine's Church from St. Sebastian's Church, making the former the Mainz parish church of the new town. The east tower was erected from 1262, and the nave from 1317, as evidenced by an inscription, the so-called “Hungerbrotstein”. Around 1317, the Archbishop of Mainz founded a collegiate chapter at the church. The crossing tower and the gable of the transept were completed around 1360, and between 1415 and 1439, the canons added a western choir. After the Reformation, the church served as a Lutheran parish church from 1556 and as a Reformed parish church from 1565, before it was finally assigned to the Reformed after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. In 1689, the building suffered destruction by French troops, with roofs, windows, and vaults being destroyed. Reconstruction took place in several phases: a first renovation from 1834 to 1845 under Ignaz Opfermann, and a second, larger restoration from 1879 under Friedrich and Heinrich von Schmidt, completed in 1889. The re-vaulting of the western choir was only completed in 1937, with further renovations following in 1959 and 1965.