St. Paul’s Church (Pauluskirche), now Protestant, is a gothic building with a three-span roof. It was built as the parish church for Count Johann of Sponheim and consecrated in 1332, originally as the Church of the Blessed Mary and Saint Kilian (Jesu Mutter Maria und dem heiligen Kilian). St. Paul’s became Protestant in 1558. In 1689, it was destroyed by the troops of King Louis XIV of France. It underwent major reconstruction in 1781 and has largely retained its 18th century form. The church stands on an island between the Nahe and the Mühlekanal canal. For many centuries, it was the only building in the town on the other side of the Alte Nahebrücke bridge – beyond were only pastures. The 61 metre high baroque tower was erected around 1780. In the mid-19th century, the dilapidated eastern chancel was converted into a chapel to hold Anglican services for the numerous English visitors to the resort. Tombstone effigies from the late Middle Ages can be seen in the “Pauluskapelle” chapel. Both the church’s organ, restored in 2012, and the choir concerts are definitely worth hearing (and seeing). The building is the largest sanctuary between Mainz and Trier. Incidentally, Karl Marx and Jenny von Westphalen married here on the 19th of June, 1843.
