Felsenkirche, Idar-Oberstein, Germany

The Felsenkirche, a church built into a natural niche in the rocks, rises high above the houses of Oberstein. Wyrich IV of Daun-Oberstein had it constructed in the years 1482-1484. Behind it, a wall of rocks rises steeply upwards; and under it, the houses of Oberstein nestle into the slope. On account of its prominent location, the church has become a symbol of the city. It can be entered only through a tunnel which was dug into the rocks.

The church’s greatest treasure is the medieval winged altar. It was created around 1400 by an unknown painter, the “Master of the Mainz Mocking”.

References:

felsenkirche-oberstein.de

User Reviews

黃瀨名 (4 years ago)
Amazing church! You can imagine the hardships in the early days of construction! I am so convinced of religious belief!

Mona Swihart (7 years ago)
Its a stair climb to get here but a really beautiful little Church. Has an interesting history and has a myth about 2 brothers and why it was built. It has a spring in it to. Worth the time to check it out.

Frank Wils (7 years ago)
Church build inside the rocky hill. The exterior of the church stands out of the rocks, but the entrance is through a cavelike tunnel and also the interior is build into the rocks. Amazing place! Beautiful over the city. As Idar-Oberstein is famous for its precious stones, of course the church has a cross made of these. Seeing how few reviews and pictures this place has, it's a hidden gem.

Draugadrotin n (7 years ago)
Nice place built on a cliff side but mediocre on the inside . . The cool thing is that the entrance is through a tunnel built into the mountain

Ricardo Murphy (8 years ago)
I was there in 1977 man it has changed before it was just a small room with about 6-8 benches and a small alter. Bare walls just like a cave I love it

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.

Felsenkirche

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche