Matthäuskirche, Evangelical church in Heimstättensiedlung, Darmstadt, Germany

Matthäuskirche is an evangelical church building in Darmstadt built between 1949 and 1950 according to Otto Bartning's design. The structure combines prefabricated wooden frames with unplastered rubble stone, creating a distinctive appearance, while the interior features warm red tones and large biblical paintings on the walls.

The church was built between 1949 and 1950 using Otto Bartning's innovative building kit system, with the community contributing about 1,500 hours of labor. A bell tower was added in 1959, and four church bells were installed in 1960.

The parish, split from the Petrusgemeinde in 1935 as the Heimstättensiedlung grew, gave the church its name from the Apostle Matthew. The Heidelberg painter Will Sohl covered the rough, unplastered rubble-splinter walls with biblical motifs in egg tempera. The congregation's work continues through services, children's and youth groups, women's aid, elderly care and ecumenical cooperation with the Catholic Heilig Kreuz parish.

The church stands in the Heimstättensiedlung in Darmstadt-West, west of the Heidelberg railway line; the Matthäusgemeinde also covers the south-west industrial area and western Bessungen. The concrete bell tower designed by Bartning in 1959 stands beside the church. The interior, including its fittings, has survived complete, so the painted walls and unplastered rubble stone can be seen as built.

The building was constructed after World War II using a prefabricated kit system where all components could be ordered from catalogs. This was an innovative approach to quickly and affordably restoring church spaces in war-damaged areas.