Saint Paulinus (german: St. Paulinskirche) is a Baroque church in the city of

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

, Germany. Constructed between 1734 and 1753, the interior was designed by

Johann Balthasar Neumann Johann Balthasar Neumann (; 27 January 1687 (?) – 19 August 1753), usually known as Balthasar Neumann, was a German architect and military artillery engineer who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture, fusing Austrian, Bohemian, Ita ...

. The ceiling of the nave features a painting by the artist

Christoph Thomas Scheffler Christoph Thomas Scheffler Christoph Thomas Scheffler (sometimes written ''Schäffler'', December 20, 1699 – January 25, 1756) was a German painter of the rococo period. He is best known for his frescoes. Scheffler was born in Mainburg ...

. The tomb of the saint after whom the church is named,

Paulinus of Trier Saint Paulinus of Trier (died 358) was bishop of Trier and a supporter of Athanasius in the conflict with Arianism. At the Synod of Arles (353) he was targeted by the Arians, and was exiled to Phrygia, being effectively singled out by the Empero ...

, is located in the church's crypt. Based in Germany's oldest city with a significant Roman history, three church buildings have stood on the site since the 4th century.

History

First church: 4th Century to 1039

Anti-Arian

was a bishop of Trier before being exiled to

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empires ...

in 353. He died there five years later, but his remains were returned to Trier in 395. Felix of Trier, a bishop of the city who held the post from 386 to 398, initiated the erection of a crypt and church on the current site of Saint Paulinus' Church, near a cemetery and just outside the walls of the city. Felix originally dedicated the church (and associated monastery) to the

Theban Legion The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Egypt—"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men"—who converted en masse to Christianity and were martyred together in 286, acc ...

, martyred, according to legend, near

Agaunum Agaunum was an outpost in Roman Switzerland, predecessor of the modern city of Saint-Maurice in the canton of Valais, southwestern Switzerland. It was used by the Roman Empire for the collection of the '' Quadragesima Galliarum''. In Christian tr ...

(present-day

Saint Maurice-en-Valais Saint-Maurice is a city in the Swiss canton of Valais and the capital of the district of Saint-Maurice. On 1 January 2013, the former municipality of Mex merged into the municipality of Saint-Maurice. Paulinus of Trier's body was later interred here also, and the dedication of the church was transferred to the saint. Several centuries later, in 1039, a fire destroyed the building, but the crypt was spared damage.

Second church: c. 1148 to 1674

Following the fire of the original, ancient church, a new building was constructed under Archbishop Bruno.

Pope Eugene III Pope Eugene III ( la, Eugenius III; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He w ...

consecrated the completed church in 1148. Smaller than the present building, the basilica featured a twin-tower façade with staircases either side, not unlike the balconies on the west face of the

Cathedral of Trier The High Cathedral of Saint Peter in Trier (german: Hohe Domkirche St. Peter zu Trier), or Trier Cathedral (german: Trierer Dom), is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the oldest church in Germany and the lar ...

, built for displaying relics to the public. French troops besieged and occupied Trier in 1673. In order to make space for an encampment, soldiers blew up the church the following year.

Third church: 1734 to present

Sixty years after the destruction of the second church by French troops,

Franz Georg von Schönborn-Buchheim Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...

, Archbishop of Trier, funded the erection of a new basilica. Designed as a single nave, probably by the architect Christian Kretzschmar, most of the internal elements were the work of

, a significant Baroque architect responsible for several impressive buildings, such as the

Würzburg Residence The Würzburg Residence (German: ''Würzburger Residenz'') is a palace in Würzburg, Germany. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt and Maximilian von Welsch, representatives of the Austrian/South German Baroque style, were involved in the construction, ...

. Dates for the completion of the church are given as 1743 or 1753, but it was consecrated in 1757. The tower reaches a height of 53 metres, and the length of the building is 52 m. Between 1802 and 1804, the monastery associated with the church was dissolved when assets were seized by the French, losing the church its

collegial Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues. A colleague is a fellow member of the same profession. Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respect each other's abilities to work toward that purpose. A colleague is ...

status and becoming a parish church instead. On 23 May 1958,

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

awarded the church ''

Basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

minor'' status.

Features and functions

As well as being the architect of the building, Neumann contributed his

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

architectural flair to several internal elements, including the stucco work, ornate altars, and ciborium. The sculptor

Ferdinand Tietz Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

carried out several of Neumann's plans, carving elements such as the statuary and choir stalls. The ceiling of the nave features a large fresco painted by

, portraying scenes from the life of St Paulinus and depictions of the martyrdom of the Theban Legion. Organ-builder Romanus Benedict Nollet worked on the organ between 1753 and 1756.

Klais Orgelbau Orgelbau Klais is a German firm that designs, builds and restores pipe organs. It is a family run company, founded in 1882 by Johannes Klais senior and is now run by his great-grandson Philipp Klais. The firm is based in Bonn, Germany, and has co ...

, an organ building and restoration company, restored and electrified the pipe organ before 1934, and renewed it in 1991. The church's four bells were cast by the brothers Charles and Joseph Perrin between 1821 and 1822. As few European bells from the 19th century survived two world wars, the bells are considered historically important. The church is active as a place of worship and is open for viewing by the public several days each week. It also hosts concerts, usually organ recitals. The martyrdom of the Theban Legion is commemorated each year in October by opening the crypt to visitors who wish to view the tombs of the Roman soldiers interred there. At other times of year, it is normally only possible to view a portion of the crypt through a metal grille. The church still maintains a cemetery in its grounds, and in 1989 a chapel was erected near the grave of

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

Blandine Merten Maria Magdalena Merten (in religious life Blandine of the Sacred Heart, 10 July 1883 – 18 May 1918) was a German professed religious from the Ursulines. Merten worked as a teacher from 1902 to 1908 in the secular environment while then serving ...

, who died in Trier in 1918.

References

External links

{{Commons-inline, St. Paulin (Trier), St Paulinus' Church Roman Catholic churches in Trier Paulinus Trier