St. Severus in Boppard, with its twin tower facade crowned by pointed helmets, largely defines the silhouette of the city.

The church building rises above the spot where the military baths stood within the Roman fort of Boppard. After the garrison withdrew, the settlement moved to the fort for security reasons and the main room of the fort bath was rededicated to a church. In addition to the choir barriers and an ambo (reading pulpit), which can only be found in the foundations, the rare example of an early Christian baptismal font has been preserved in St. Severus. The current parish church was built in three sections in the 12th and 13th centuries: the two choir flank towers date from the middle of the 12th century, the nave was built in the first quarter of the 13th century, the choir probably in 1234. With St. Severus, Boppard owns a major work of late Romanesque church architecture from the Rhineland, closely related to St. Peter's Church in Bacharach. Both churches were based on the Liebfrauenkirche in Andernach, which was formative for this area from the second half of the 13th century. The treasure trove of forms of the Severuskirche with pilaster strips, round arch friezes, keyhole windows, cloverleaf arches and the characteristic diamond-shaped helmets, which were only replaced by today's pointed helmets in the early 17th century, is from the Lower Rhine region. The spider vault of the nave is unique for Romanesque architecture. The color scheme of the architectural elements surpasses anything comparable on the Middle Rhine in terms of color and richness of patterns. The scenic wall painting dates from the 13th century, but was transferred to the new plaster during the restoration in 1888-95.

Opening times: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Information: Parish office of St. Severus, Rheinallee 44, Tel. 06742/2315, Fax: 06742/2057