Ravengiersburg Church, Simmern-Rheinböllen, Germany

Ravengiersburg Augustinian Canonical Foundation was founed in 1074 on the site of the Salian castle of the Counts in the Trechirgau. In the document dealing with land donations to the monastery, the name Hunsruche – Hunsrück – is mentioned for the first time.

The heyday of the monastery was during the 14th and 15th centuries. During this time, the monastery developed into one of the largest ruling estates in the entire region, whose possessions reached from the Nahe to the Mosel Rivers. The glory ended in the turmoil of the Reformation and the Thirty Years War, and from there began a varied and painful history that ended in the year 1631 with the almost complete destruction of the monastery and its church. However, Augustinian monks were still in charge there until secularization in the year 1803.

Today the St. Christophorus-Kirche has a Romanesque twin-tower façade. This imposing church is also called the Hunsrückdom (“Hunsrück Cathedral”), although it is not actually a cathedral.

The integrity and compactness of the architecture of the church makes it one of the most important structures of the 12th and 13th centuries between the Nahe, Mosel and the Middle Rhine River. The originally Romanesque church was erected around 1160 and must have been a three-nave basilica. It had approximately the same length as today's church and was attached to the double tower of the west works. Under the chancel section a four-nave Romanesque crypt with three apses from the first half of the 12th century was found. A disastrous fire, however, destroyed the Romanesque basilica around 1440. The new building was completed in the year 1497, probably a three-nave basilica in the Gothic style, nothing of which remained after its destruction by Swedish troops in 1631. The rebuilding from 1718-1722 was undertaken by Elector Carl Philippe upon the old foundations of the church using the available stone.

User Reviews

Marco Büschel (12 months ago)
Unfortunately the outside is quite sparse, the inside is well preserved and clean. You don't have to go there, but if you're nearby you should see it! Open and free.

axel b. (2 years ago)
A place full of charm...

Evi Riehle (2 years ago)
Beautiful and impressive church, which was also open at least on Sunday afternoon. Really worth a visit/detour.

rlpbaer (2 years ago)
A very large church in small village on a mountain spur. Powerful front facade and rich equipment inside.

Markus Liebmann (2 years ago)
A nice place to relax and have a prayer. The cathedral is relatively small, but with a big impact. You can see the church from afar. From the cathedral itself you also have a very nice view. There aren't too many parking spaces. A visit is worth it.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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Ravengiersburg Church

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