“Sacred Heart Church” sounds so familiar doesn’t it? The name originated from the idea to honour the memory of the great social bishop von Ketteler. He was a pious and zealous admirer of the Sacred Heart throughout his life. This was in his hundredth year of birth.
We’re standing before the Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Mainz. It’s a testament to faith and architectural vision. This Catholic church is a Neo-Gothic hall church. It graces the Mombach borough of Mainz. Herz-Jesu-Kirche means Church of the Sacred Heart.
Its story began in 1911. Ludwig Becker designed it in the Gothic Revival style. It was intended as a memorial to Bishop Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherr von Ketteler. The location was the largest working-class district of Mainz. Construction started on August 9, 1911.
The First World War caused interruptions. Bishop Georg Heinrich Kirstein laid the first stone. The choir was completed by September 28, 1913. The initial plan was a basilica. It would have a façade flank tower. Only the choir, transept, and Ketteler memorial chapel were built.
Notice the Neo-Late Gothic style. See the picturesquely grouped plaster building. The divisions are in red sandstone. The church features a polygonal choir with varied side choirs. Above the crossing, there’s an eight-sided ridge turret. It has a copper pointed helmet. A figure of the Sacred Heart of Jesus crowns it.
Take a look at the tracery window. The light-filled interior has a clear spatial effect. Net and star vaults sit above clustered pillars. Hans Steinheim and Josef Neumann from Eltville did good stonemasonry work. South of the choir, there is a representative sacristy building. It has a stair tower.
This sacred building dominates the townscape. It is typical of Becker’s striving for monumentality. Its originality appears in the fusion of various historical models. These are reformulated individually.
Alois Plum created the stained-glass windows. The choir underwent backup and restoration in 2001. Vitus Wurmdobler then painted the choir.
In 1969 and 1970, a north-side extension added community rooms. The choir room was redesigned. Alois Blum from Mainz created modern glass windows. They contrast with the Neo-Gothic style.
The Ketteler memorial chapel has a ceiling. Climb the spiral staircase. The room above surprises with its height.
Since the nave with its large tower was not built, the choir with its transept lacked an abutment. Securing the ring anchors was therefore necessary in 1999 and 2001. During this renovation, Vitus Wurmdobler painted the choir room.
The church’s monument preservation department considers the design unique. The large abstract wooden cross of cubes and ashlars was originally by Alois Plum. A corpus with a baroque corona was added later. Also note the modern “Mikado” incandescent wheel lamps replacing fluorescent tubes.
Since 2011, a 16-part Stations of the Cross has been impressive. Jupp Schmitt, a Mombach citizen, carved them from lime tree wood. The tree stood in the parish garden of St. Nikolaus.
Herz-Jesu-Kirche stands as a testament to architectural adaptation. It also reflects artistic evolution. It is a place where history and faith converge.