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St. Peter's - a church with late baroque elegance

St. Peter's in Mainz is a magnificent Baroque parish church built between 1746 and 1756. It is considered one of the most beautiful baroque churches in the city.

St. Peter
St. Peter

All the splendor of the Rococo period seems to be gathered in St. Peter's and shines in bright gold—as fresh as on the first day. And with good reason: in 1989, after more than ten years of restoration, the elegant church with its twin onion domes was returned to the community as good as new.

There you can discover not only art treasures from past centuries, but also the craftsmanship of our own day: the colorful interior was painted by Bavarian artist Karl Manninger and his student Hermenegild Peiker. The historical model was the frescoes by Joseph Appiani (created between 1752 and 1755), which were destroyed during the war. The extensive paintings tell the life and legends of the Apostle Peter. One original is still preserved behind the entrance.

St. Peter, angel figure
St. Peter, angel figure

The church was founded in 944 by Archbishop Frederick of Lorraine. In 1748, court architect Johann Valentin Thomann erected the new building on the site of the demolished parish church of St. Mary. The original late Baroque elegance has been achieved in the historical restoration. The richly decorated white and gold wooden pulpit from the master workshop of Johann Förster and several lavishly decorated altars, including the 16th-century crucifix altar by court sculptor Hans Backoffen, have been preserved. The celebration altar was created in 1989 by the Palatinate sculptor Gernot Rumpf – decorated with all kinds of "fish of men" wriggling in a bronze net. Later, a matching ambo and Easter candlestick were added.


Opening hours and church services

You can find the latest information on the website of St. Peter's Parish.

Further information

Contact us

Address

St. Peter

Peterstraße 3
55116 Mainz

Explanations and notes

Picture credits

Sprachauswahl

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