St. Johannes der Täufer, Gothic parish church in Rain, Germany

St. Johannes der Täufer is a late Gothic pseudo-basilica, 45 metres long, with a 20-metre-wide nave and a central nave 15 metres high. Its 66-metre tower stands in the southern choir angle, rising from a square base to an octagonal Baroque top crowned by a spire around 1870. The interior has a three-aisle nave with a net-ribbed vault and a single-aisle, five-sided choir.

First documented in 1314 and named a parish church in 1322, the church rests on a tower base with 1.80-metre-thick walls built between 1250 and 1300. The Gothic nave followed between 1380 and 1480, its choir arch dated 1480, and from 1538 the tower rose on the late Romanesque substructure. A Baroque remodelling came in the 17th century, and around 1870 the tower received its present spire.

The church displays intricate network vaulting patterns in the central nave that draw the eye upward. Wall paintings from the 15th century remain visible and show the artistic tastes of medieval worshippers.

The 66-metre tower rises in the southern choir angle, so the main entrance side is best found from the town centre. The interior is entered through the south portal, above which the Christophorus painting is visible. Visitors should keep to the side aisles while services are held in the choir.

The walls hold historical gravestones and epitaphs, among them the tombstone of pastor Endres Weiß, who died in 1507, showing him as a full figure. The church also keeps a weather vane that was torn down in a storm and put back in 1866 by the artilleryman Jac. Zech, who climbed the tower for it.