St. Catherine's Church, Frankfurt

St. Catherine's Church is the largest Lutheran church in Frankfurt am Main, dedicated to the martyred early Christian saint, Catherine of Alexandria. It is located in the old city centre near one of the most famous plazas in the city, the Hauptwache (Main Guard).HistoryThe current church building, built between 1678 and 1681 replaced the Ss. Catherine's and Barbara Chapel from the late 14th century. With the adoptation of the Lutheran Reformation by the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt in 1533 the city unilaterally appropriated all religious buildings within its old city centre. This status was statutorily fixed in 1830 by the deeds of dotation, which is why St. Catherine's is one of the city's dotation churches left for eternal usage by a Lutheran congregation. The German writer, artist, and politician Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) was baptized in this church in 1749.This church is built in the baroque style and stands 54 meters in height. St. Catherine's was destroyed in 1944 by the Allied bombing of Frankfurt am Main during the Second World War. The city reconstructed its church between 1950 and 1954. The Lutheran congregation enjoying usufruct of the St. Catherine's church building is a member of the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau.