Church of Saints Pierre and Paul, Echternach

The first church on this spot was constructed around 698, when Abbess Irmina of Oeren (Trier) made a gift of her properties in Echternach to Archbishop Willibrord, the founder of the monastery. The reconstruction from 1016 to 1031 created the Abbey Church much as it exists today. After its desecration by French Revolutionary troops, the abbey church was re-consecrated in 1868. The destruction of 1944 required lengthy reconstruction work that was only completed in 1953.

The renewal of the Catholic Church after the Council of Trent (1545-1563) resulted in the revival or creation of numerous small pilgrimages, in particular in honour of the Virgin Mary. Thus in 1654 the priest Petrus Fisch built a Marian chapel at the town gates. In a perspective-effect niche behind the main altar, a Pièta reflects the many sufferings that the population underwent in the 17th century. The veneration of the Passion and the Guardian Angel, portrayed in a number of significant works of art, was also widespread in this era.

The church was erected in 1782-83 in accordance with the architectural plans of Johann Anton Neurohr of Trier. It was transformed and renovated several times. It is a simple and unpretentiously built single-nave church whose striking features include the monumental glass window from the 1950s, a Westenfelder organ built into the tower in 1983 as well as many other artistic works.