St. Ignatius Church

The red sandstone facade of St. Ignatius’s rises up in the midst of the low houses of the old city in Kapuzinerstrasse. The church was constructed between 1763 and 1774 to the plans of Johann Peter Jäger, namely in place of the old church of a suburb enclosed within the city wall after 1200.

The church shows an impressive interplay of baroque, as the expression of joy in faith, and classicism, as the expression of reason. Luxuriant stucco works and puttos appear between the strict lines of classicism. Ceiling frescos relate the life and death of St. Ignatius. They were originally by the baroque painter Johann Baptist Enderle, but were later touched up several times. The classicist organ casing (1774-81) above the main entrance is worth of seeing, the organ itself dates from 1837.

Under the church is a crypt in which, apart from clergymen and members of the parish, the church’s architect, stucco worker and carpenter have also been laid to rest. The towerless church is surrounded by a parish garden in which the large crucifixion group, the tomb of the sculptor Hans Backoffen (died 1519) and a Gothic wooden crucifix are to be seen.

Address
Kapuzinerstraße 38, Mainz, Germany

Established
1763-1774