St. Stephen's Church, Mainz

We did make sure to visit St. Stephan zu Mainz, a gothic church known for its windows created by Marc Chagall.

St. Stephan was originally built in 990 and the current church building dates from the late medieval era; construction of the main area of the church began in about 1267 and was completed in 1340. St. Stephan is the oldest Gothic Hall church in the Upper Rhine district, and is (besides Mainz Cathedral) the most important church in the city of Mainz.

The Chagall choir windows in St. Stephan are unique in Germany. Between 1978 and his death in 1985, Belorussian Jewish artist, Marc Chagall created nine stained-glass windows of scriptural figures in luminous blue. The figures depict scenes from the Old Testament. Chagall intended his work to be a contribution to Jewish-German reconciliation, made all the more poignant by the fact that Chagall himself fled France under Nazi occupation. Chagall's work has been continued after his death by his pupil Charles Marq and by others.

Walking into this church is such a unique experience after the many, many churches we have visited before. The glow through the blue stained glass windows gives the interior a very calming feel. There is not a lot of adornment as the stained glass windows are the highlight. They are stunning and interesting and awe-inspiring. We were so glad we made the detour to visit this church as from the outside, it is nothing spectacular. What a wonderful surprise.Read more