(Luther) Gedaechtniskirche, Speyer

The Gedächtniskirche der Protestation is a United Protestant church in Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate commemorating the Protestation at Speyer.Built between 1893 and 1904, the church was constructed in memory of the protest that took place at the Diet of Speyer by the Protestant rulers of the Holy Roman Empire in 1529. The tower is the tallest bell tower in the palatinate at.Historical backgroundIn the latter part of the nineteenth century during the time of the Kulturkampf, relations between Protestants and Catholics were strained. The Gedächtniskirche was intended as a mother church for Protestant Christianity, although debates among the Protestants led to a delay of about 35 years between the original idea and the laying of the foundations.The building of the memorial church was a reaction to Johann von Schraudolph's structural renewal and painting of the Speyer Cathedral in the years 1846 to 1856. Originally the intention was to renovate the Baroque Trinity Church, situated near the cathedral, but it was decided that a new building should be built instead.In the decorative rose window, the protest is tied historically to events from the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible.