St. Christoph - Gutenberg's baptistery

The early Gothic parish church of St. Christoph on Karmeliterplatz in Mainz was built between 1292 and 1325.

St. Christoph memorial — Church ruins of St. Christoph February 2018

It was almost completely destroyed during the heavy bombing of Mainz in 1942 and 1945. In 1963/64, the ruins were converted into a memorial and chapel in Mainz. St. Christoph has a late Gothic baptismal font. Johannes Gutenberg is said to have been baptized in it. The modern relief between the concrete supports was created by sculptor Heinz Hemrich. Since 2025, a reconstruction of the spire has once again crowned the memorial.

In 2010, Mainz patron Stefan Schmitz took on the task of restoring the ruins, which had fallen into serious disrepair. The "Initiative St. Christoph" was founded in 2012 with the aim of restoring the dignity of the site using public and private funds.

St. Christoph memorial, information boards

Together with the city of Mainz, a plan was drawn up to renovate the memorial site by the 70th anniversary of its destruction on February 27, 2015.

Reconstruction of the spire of St. Christoph

A historic moment for Mainz: On September 16, 2025, the spire of the St. Christoph Memorial was ceremoniously placed on top of the building. This represents one of the last major steps in the complex reconstruction of St. Christoph. After years of intensive restoration and renovation work, the newly constructed spire, which is 19.94 meters high and weighs 14.90 tons, now adorns the memorial. The reconstruction shapes the cityscape and is intended to keep the collective memory of the people of Mainz alive.

Reconstruction of the spire is put in place

A platform was built as part of the project. Access to the platform is via a spiral staircase, which is located at the historic site of the former staircase and allows passage above the side aisle into the tower shaft. The spire is 48.80 m above ground level.

Parallel to the reconstruction of the spire, extensive renovation work was also carried out on the tower shaft. This included structural reinforcement of the tower, stone conservation measures, installation of the internal staircase, and covering of the upper part of the tower shaft. All this work was carried out in close consultation with the building authority's monument preservation department in order to preserve the historical value of the structure.

Special thanks go to the St. Christoph Initiative, Mainz Building Management, the Monument Preservation Authority, and all donors, especially Hanna Schmitz, who made this milestone possible.