St Magnus' Church

Built in the 8th or 9th century, St Magnus' Church is still used as a parish church. The parish and its spiritual concerns were administered by the collegiate church of St Andrew's. The canons, who had preached Protestant theology since 1520, quickly warmed to Luther's teachings. 

Destroyed during a bombing raid in 1945, the church was reconstructed in 1952. St Andrew's Seminary has been home to the Worms City Museum since 1930. It exhibits finds from over 7,000 years in the history of Worms: Stone Age, Roman period, Middle Ages and a Luther Room.

Worms around 1521, St Magnus' Church and St Andrew's Seminary; 3-D rendering by FaberCourtial 
Worms around 1521, St Magnus' Church and St Andrew's Seminary; 3-D rendering by FaberCourtial
Exterior view of St Magnus' Church, photo: Rudolf Uhrig 
Exterior view of St Magnus' Church, photo: Rudolf Uhrig
Interior view of St Magnus' Church, photo: Worms City Archive 
Interior view of St Magnus' Church, photo: Worms City Archive
St Magnus' Church and St Andrew's Seminary as they were before 1689, drawing by Hamman, photo: Worms City Archive 
St Magnus' Church and St Andrew's Seminary as they were before 1689, drawing by Hamman, photo: Worms City Archive

There is no doubt that Luther was aware of the cathedral and St Magnus' Church, the city's oldest ecclesiastical building, during his sojourn in Worms.

Even at the time of the Imperial Diet, there are members of the clergy who advocate the new doctrine: among them is Johannes Rom(anus), chaplain of St Magnus' Church and a canon of St Andrew's Seminary. The Protestant movement is supported by the theologian and seminary cantor Nikolaus Maurus, St Magnus' pastor Ulrich Preu, called 'Schlaginhaufen', and his chaplain Johannes Freiherr, as well as by Ulrich Sitzinger and the theologians Friedrich Baur and Heinrich Stoll.

Ulrich Preu grants the Lutherans licence to use St Magnus' Church, which is incorporated within St Andrew's Seminary. Other locations to congregate soon include the House of Dance and, from 1526, the ship owned by the Dominican church, as well as the Franciscan Monastery on Petersgasse.  

Ulrich von Hutten pens a pamphlet in July 1522, soliciting support from the other cities in his campaign against the papal church. In 'demütige ermanung an ein gemeyne statt Wormbß' (in humble exhortation for unity in Worms), he admonishes the nascent Protestant church around pastor Ulrich Preu to remain true to its principles in the face of all resistance, while also calling for free elections of priests and bishops.

A clergyman marries in St Magnus' Church in 1524. St Magnus' Church and St Andrew's Church directly adjacent originally belonged to St Andrew's Seminary.