200,000 visitors a year prove that St. Stephen's is an attraction! Tourists from all over the world make the pilgrimage up to Stephansberg to see the blue stained glass windows by artist Marc Chagall. The reconstruction and restoration of the Gothic church, which was almost completely destroyed in World War II, also brought about its revival.
Over a thousand years ago, in 990, Willigis, Archbishop of Mainz and Archchancellor of the Empire, established a collegiate foundation here and had the church built as a "place of prayer for the empire." The builder of the cathedral himself found his final resting place in St. Stephen's in 1011. The new Gothic building was constructed between 1290 and 1335. It stands on the foundations of the basilica built in the Ottonian-Pre-Romanesque style around 990. When the nearby powder tower exploded in 1857, St. Stephen's was also severely damaged. During the restoration, the rich Baroque furnishings were removed.

Today, the church is a clearly structured hall church with three naves, in which the Gothic vaults have not yet been restored. The walls are white, creating an attractive contrast to the red sandstone of the load-bearing architectural elements. The 66-meter-high, spacious tower of the building probably dates back to the Willigis Church up to the height of the pointed arch frieze. A wide crack in the tower had already been closed in 1947. The dome and lantern were reattached in 1962 to mark the city's 2000th anniversary.

Until 1911, a watchman lived high above the rooftops in a specially furnished apartment as a fire watchman; triplets were even born here once. This fire watch for the city had been in existence since 1559.

St. Stephen's is the only German church for which the Jewish artist Marc Chagall (1887–1985) created windows. Born in Russia, the artist spent most of his life in France. Blue light shines through the stained glass windows into the interior of St. Stephen's Church, and in this light, not only angels but also other
biblical figures seem to float weightlessly.The colors speak directly to our attitude toward life, because they convey optimism, hope, and joie de vivre," says Pastor Klaus Mayer, who communicates Chagall's work in meditations and books. In 1973, he established contact with Chagall and convinced the "master of color and biblical message" to make a statement in the east choir in favor of Jewish-Christian solidarity and international understanding. In 1978, the first Chagall window by the then 91-year-old artist was installed. Eight more followed, six for the east choir and three in the transept. Marc Chagall, who became an honorary citizen of Mainz but never got to know the city, completed the last one shortly before his death at the age of 98. The 19 later windows by Charles Marq from the Jacques Simon studio in Reims, which are deliberately simpler in design, serve as an introduction to the masterpieces in the side aisles. Chagall had worked with Marq for 28 years.

Anyone who has seen the famous windows should not miss a tour of the most beautiful late Gothic cloister in Rhineland-Palatinate. This was the burial place of many of the 600 canons. They are commemorated by the tombstones and coats of arms of the founding families. The coats of arms are enriched by modern keystones from the federal government, the state, the diocese, and the city of Mainz. Art treasures such as the enthroned God the Father from the 15th century or the late Gothic group of figures of Anna Selbdritt should not be overlooked either. For several years now, baptisms in St. Stephan have once again been performed using the original Gothic baptismal font from 1330.