Pauluskirche Hamm

Central church in Hamm located directly on the market. Lots of gastronomy in the area.

The Protestant St. Paul's Church is the central church building in Hamm, built in the Gothic style. It is very likely that a smaller chapel or something similar existed on the same site before the actual church was built. The exact age of the current building is unknown; some sources cite the year 1275 as the year construction began. The church was built in any case in the period between the founding of the town and the separation of the parish. The sacred building was formerly called St. George and Lawrence - after the patron saints of the town. A parish was created in 1337 by separating the parish from the Pankratius Church in the village of Mark. In the meantime, the name of the church had also changed. Originally it bore the name of the patron saint of the town, St. George, but since the Reformation it has been called the "Reformed Parish Church". The name "Great Church" was not officially introduced until 1821, when the Reformed and Lutheran congregations merged. The building has only been called St. Paul's Church since 1912.

Soon after the town was founded in 1226, a chapel was built, dedicated to the town's patron saint, St. George. A few years later, it was replaced by a transept, of which the south portal, the rose windows in the choir and in the organ gallery are still preserved.Further construction phases after the fire of 1250 include the Gothic windows of the choir, the north portal and the cluster pillars of the transept, as well as the previous building of the sacristy. In 1337, St. George's Church received parish rights and formed its own parish district. Before that, it was a branch of St. Pankratius Church in Mark. This was followed by the extension of a nave with two side aisles and a transept, as well as a 79.3 m high tower. Around 1500, it was given a pointed Gothic spire. The building material - green marl sandstone - came from the surrounding area. The town fire of 1741 destroyed the church down to its foundations. During reconstruction in 1753, the tower was given a baroque dome. In 1912, St. George's or Great Church was renamed St. Paul's Church.
Source: hamm.de/pauluskirche