St. Cosmas and St. Damian Church (Gau-Algesheim)

Very impressive large church. Gives the place something important.

A parish already existed in Gau-Algesheim in the 14th century. In the early days she was dedicated to St. Martin, then St. Dedicated to Cosmas and Damian. In addition to the parish church, Algesheim also had a St. John's chapel, a St. Nicholas chapel, a St. Margret chapel, a Bonifatius chapel and a Michael's chapel. The old parish church, extended in 1539, was demolished in 1889 and a three-aisled, Gothic hall church was built in its place according to the plans of the Limburg diocesan master builder Max Meckel. The choir and the tower of the old church remained, the latter was further expanded.
In 1501, the relics of Saints St. Cosmas and St. Damian were there for a few days, which were probably "stored" there during a rest during a procession. The veneration of these saints exceeded that of the actual church patron St. Martin until 1784, so that they soon became the sole church patrons.
regionalgeschichte.net/rheinhessen/gau-algesheim/kulturdenkmaeler/st-cosmas-und-damian.html

The church stands on the site of a previous building from the Franconian period. It was originally a fortified church with a ring wall. The choir was, as usual, in the east. In 1887, the old nave and its extensions were demolished and replaced by a new one by 1889. The building was constructed in the neo-Gothic style as a three-aisled hall church with a main choir in the south. The late Gothic choir from 1406 in the east has been preserved in its original form and, together with the cross chapel and the tower in the west, forms the transept. The limestone foundations of the tower up to a height of 20 meters date back to the year 1000, when it was built as an escape tower. The total height of the tower up to the gockel is 63 meters. The spire, which was re-slated in 2014, with the four corner turrets extends over 43 meters. The tower houses the last fully mechanical tower clock with striking mechanism in the diocese of Mainz. The bell cage above has seven bells. The church was originally dedicated to the Mother of God and Saint Martin. The window of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, in today's main choir, still refers to this today. Since 1677, the patronage of the church has been that of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, which means that the church was placed under the protection of two saints from the 3rd century, the brothers Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, who were greatly revered here and in the rest of Germany at the time. The side entrance to the west provides access to the impressive interior, which has been artistically renovated over many years. The church is barrier-free and open daily.Services take place on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m.At the same time as the 10:30 a.m. service, there is a service for children in the neighboring St. Michael's House. You can find more information and an overview of the wide range of current services offered by our parish on our homepage:
kath-kirche-gau-algesheim.com