Spitalkirche Baden-Baden, Late Gothic church in Baden-Baden, Germany
The Spitalkirche is a late Gothic church built between 1468 and 1478, standing below the Friedrichsbad next to the entrance of the Caracalla-Therme. Its pale plastered facade has a steep gabled front with a tall pointed-arch tracery window above a recessed arched doorway, a small round opening near the gable peak, and a square roof turret with louvered openings topped by a copper-green dome and cross. The building was shortened by 7 metres in 1963–1966, when it received a new west facade.
A chapel of the Virgin at the hospital is documented in 1351; the present chapel was built between 1468 and 1478 and served a hospital for the sick and infirm that was dissolved in the 19th century. The town fire of 1689 during the War of the Palatine Succession largely destroyed it, and it was rebuilt only in the 18th century, when it received a Baroque roof turret. In 1963–1966 the construction of the adjoining spa baths and an underground garage brought a restoration, a shortening of the building by 7 m and a new west facade.
The church has served the Old Catholic community since 1878 and continues to host regular services today. It remains a spiritual center for this religious group in the city.
The church sits below Friedrichsbad and directly beside the Caracalla-Therme entrance, making it easy to reach while exploring the city center. Visitors can stop by simply while visiting nearby attractions.
The larger bell in the roof turret was cast in 1748 by Matthäus Edel in Strasbourg and bears the inscription "in honore virginis Marie"; it measures 74 cm across and weighs 200 kg. The second, "Jubilate", 66 cm and 180 kg, came from the Bachert foundry in Karlsruhe in 2007.
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