Catholic Church of the Holy Cross, Mainz, Modern Catholic church in Mainz-Oberstadt, Germany.
The Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche is a modern church building in Mainz-Oberstadt with a circular floor plan and a flat copper dome. The interior is supported by fourteen steel-concrete pillars that create an open and unified space.
The parish was established on 1 May 1938, but the Second World War delayed construction. The foundation stone of the circular church was laid at Pentecost 1953, and it was consecrated on 25 April 1954 after two years of building. Its name recalls the Heiligkreuzstift, a collegiate foundation destroyed in the 1793 siege of Mainz and blown up as a ruin in 1799.
The seven outer doors carry metal plates with twelve angels by Peter Paul Etz, a reference to the New Jerusalem. Above the entrance doors, mosaics of Old Testament motifs are set into the wall. Inside, the suspended cross above the altar is by Benedictine sister Lioba Munz of Fulda, and a 1965 Madonna by Hermann Volz is fixed to one of the pillars.
There is a crypt that can be accessed from outside, and regular services take place throughout the year. The interior is easy to navigate due to the open structure, making exploration straightforward.
The church's round shape is completed by its forecourt: when the copper-clad doors of the sanctuary are opened, the interior and the trapezoidal yard join into a full circle. The oval forecourt was part of Richard Jörg's design from the start.
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