The Christuskirche (Christ Church) is a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

church located in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

. The Christuskirche was built between 1896 and 1903 designed by

Eduard Kreyßig Eduard Model Accessories is a Czech manufacturer of plastic models and finescale model accessories. Formed in 1989 in the city of Most, Eduard began in a rented cellar as a manufacturer of photoetched brass model components. Following the su ...

. It was consecrated on 2 July 1903. After demolition during the air raids of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the church was reconstructed between 1952 and 1954. The congregation forms part of the

Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau The Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau (german: Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau, EKHN) is a United Protestant church body in the German states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. There is no bishop and therefore no cathedral. One of it ...

. In the predominantly

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

Mainz of 1802, only some hundred Protestants could be traced at the end of the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

. Napoleon Bonaparte was the first to grant them the right of freely practising their religion and he expanded their civil rights. Previously Protestants had the status of "tolerated" human beings, a status they shared with the

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

. Around the year 1900 already 33% of the inhabitants of Mainz had the Protestant

confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...

. Due to increase of the Protestant community, they had to search for new space. The extension of the old city borders by the new expanded town

Mainz-Neustadt Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Mainz ...

during the last trimester of the 19th century opened the opportunity to demonstrate the self-confidence of the Protestant community by erecting a new church building. Along with the Kaiserstraße, a new twin lined three-lane boulevard, the church was erected by

, the master builder of Mainz, in

Renaissance Revival style Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

. The church was intended to be a representative counterbalance to the Catholic

Mainz Cathedral , native_name_lang = , image = Mainzer Dom nw.jpg , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , relief = , map caption = , iso regi ...

. The mighty

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a ...

excels other churches and buildings of the inner city of Mainz. Besides services, the Christuskirche is shared by lovers of music, since

Diethard Hellmann Diethard Hellmann (28 December 1928 – 14 October 1999) was a German Kantor and an academic in Leipzig, Mainz and Munich. Professional career Born in Grimma, Dietmann Hellmann was a member of the Thomanerchor. He studied church music in Leipzig ...

founded in 1954 the Bach Choir and Bach Orchestra to perform especially Bach's cantatas. Fans of Gospel music enjoy the yearly performances of Colours of Gospel. Traditionally the opening mass services of the

University of Mainz The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (german: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz) is a public research university in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, named after the printer Johannes Gutenberg since 1946. With approximately 32,000 stu ...

at the beginning of the

academic term An academic term (or simply term) is a portion of an academic year, the time during which an educational institution holds classes. The schedules adopted vary widely. In most countries, the academic year begins in late summer or early autumn and ...

take place here. File:Christuskirche in Mainz.jpg, Kaiserstraße with view to the Christuskirche File:Mainz Luftbild Christuskirche zu Mainz auf der Kaiserstraße Foto 2008 Wolfgang Pehlemann Wiesbaden IMG 0077.jpg, Aerial view of the Christuskirche File:Christuskirche Mainz.jpg, Christuskirche after the outer finishing in 1902 File:Mainz, kerk2 foto4 2009-08-02 09.08.JPG, Christuskirche

Literature

* Franz Fredriksson: ''Die neue evangelische Christuskirche in Mainz''. In: ''Zentralblatt der Bauverwaltung''. Jg. 23 (1903), Nr. 65 (15. August 1903), , S. 406-408. (Fünf Abbildungen)

External links

Website of the Christuskirche Mainz
{{Authority control Mainz Christus Churches in Mainz Mainz Christus Mainz Christus Protestant churches in Rhineland-Palatinate