Jesuitenkirche

Jesuitenkirche stands in Heidelberg’s old town, beside Richard-Hauser-Platz and near University Square. Its Baroque sandstone façade faces north, while the church itself points south rather than east. The three-part front rises to a triangular gable, with statues of Christ, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, love, hope, and faith.

Construction began in 1712 as part of the Jesuit quarter and ended in 1759 after a long interruption. Jesuits had returned to Heidelberg in 1698, teaching at the university and supporting Catholic pastoral work. After the order dissolved in 1773, the building served Lazarists, secular users, and wounded soldiers before becoming a parish church in 1809. A Neo-Baroque tower followed between 1868 and 1872, while renovations from 2001 to 2004 renewed the altar area, seating, and windows.

White walls and green, partly gilded capitals shape the interior beneath cross-vaulted ceilings. Three altars show Pentecost, the Assumption of Mary, and Joseph as patron of the Catholic Church. A fourteen-station Way of the Cross lines the side aisles, and the crypt holds Jesuit graves and the tomb of Elector Frederick the Victorious. Two Kuhn organs add contrasting voices: the main organ has 54 stops, while the choir organ follows Baroque models. Attached rooms house the Museum of Sacred Art and Liturgy, and the church is wheelchair accessible.