Visit Eppstein's St. Laurentius Church

Although I love attending the simple St. Jakobus church in Eppstein-Vockenhausen, two streets down from our home, I also have a soft spot for the St. Laurentius church in Alt-Eppstein (the old town). After all, it is dedicated to my patron saint. It was built in 1903 in a pseudo-Gothic style when Eppstein's Catholic congregation outgrew its quarters in the castle.

When you stand in the church's parking lot and look towards the castle, you'll notice the picturesque rounded row of half-timbered houses, which used to be lined up next to Eppstein's city wall. What is now the parking lot was a fishing pond or "moat" outside the wall.

Inside the church, the statues and stained-glass window dedicated to St. Laurentius are fascinating. The poor fellow, a finance minister to the pope and Roman deacon in the 3rd century, met a grisly end. The Kaiser wanted the money from the church, and when Laurentius refused to hand it over, the Kaiser had him roasted, literally. So the figure of Laurentius is portrayed with a roasting rack and a palm.

Visiting the church on August 10, St. Laurentius's "Namenstag" (saint's day), seems like an appropriate excursion. A number of other famous saints are also on display inside the church including: St. Georg killing his dragon; St. Anthony, to whom you can pray if you've lost something; St. Valentine with an epileptic man (pray to him to ward off epilepsy).

Church services are held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays at 9:30 a.m, at 6 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Sundays.