St. Peter und Paul, Romanesque church in Wormbach, Germany

St. Peter and Paul is a Romanesque church located in the village of Wormbach near Schmallenberg. The building displays typical features of this style, such as a strong tower and a spacious interior with medieval proportions and stone construction.

A parish existed by the 8th century, and in 1079 Archbishop Anno II of Cologne gave Wormbach to Grafschaft Abbey. The nave and tower foundations uncovered in 1955–1957 point to a church of around 1050; the choir was built in the first quarter of the 13th century and the hall church after the mid-13th century. Lightning struck the tower in 1683, killing two people, and again in 1730, melting three bells; it received its three-storey Baroque helm after 1730.

The parish belonged to the oldest mission layer of the 8th century and became an independent Cologne deanery, which gave Wormbach a special standing. From 1079 Archbishop Anno II of Cologne transferred the parish to Kloster Grafschaft, to which it remained tied until the parish was dissolved. Because the parish priest was sole landlord in the district, the post often went to younger sons of noble families, notably the von Fürstenberg.

The building is centrally located in Wormbach and easy to reach. You can walk by at any time to view the exterior architecture, and it is worth checking local information for interior visiting hours if you wish to enter.

The vault fields of each bay carry four painted zodiac signs, a symbol of the yearly cycle; the same motif appears on the portals of Chartres and Amiens cathedrals. The painted keystones show sun and moon, St. Patroclus of Troyes and a saint holding a book. The apse, now hidden behind the baroque high altar, holds a Majestas Domini with angels, seated apostles with Mary, and below them the resurrection of the dead.