Christ Church

The New Mainz Synagogue, inaugurated in 2010, is the successor building to the former Mainz Synagogues. Mainz, or Magenza as it is called by the local Jewish community, had been an important Jewish centre on the Rhine since Roman times, and lost its importance only with the Second World War. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the high number of immigrants from Eastern Europe expanded the congregation in the 1990s and, as new premises had to be found, the construction of the synagogue was decided in 1999. Architect Manuel Herz received the German Façade Award for the Ventilated Curtain Wall (VHF) 2011 for the building.

St. Martin's Cathedral in Mainz was founded in 975 by Archbishop Willigis, who was also Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire. As the most powerful man in the Church after the Pope, Willigis demanded the construction of a church of impressive size, which was consecrated in 1009. On the day of his consecration, however, it was destroyed by fire. The new building was completed in 1036. After another fire in 1081, it was rebuilt under Emperor Henry IV (1084-1105). It was only much later that Gothic and Baroque additions were made. From 1872 to 1877, the cathedral was restored under the direction of P.J.H. Cuypers. The cathedral, together with the cathedral churches of Speyer and Worms, is a highlight of Romanesque architecture along the Rhine. These three churches are collectively called the Kaiserdome.

St. Stephen's Church in Mainz was founded in 990 by Archbishop Willigis. The present church was built later, from 1267 to 1340, but has retained the plan of the Willigis building. From 1462 to 1499, the cloister was added to the south side. During the Baroque period, the interior of St. Stephen's Church was decorated accordingly, but in 1857 a nearby powder magazine tower exploded, causing the church to lose its Baroque furnishings.