Catholic Holy Cross Church, Augsburg

About

The Catholic Holy Cross Church (German: Katholische Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche) is a Roman Catholic parish church in the southern German city of Augsburg, Bavaria. While its history dates back to 1143 when a hospice with a chapel was constructed on the site, the present church in the Gothic style was built by Provost Vitus Fackler in 1508. After bombing damage in the Second World War, rebuilding work was completed in 1949. Right next to this church is the Evangelical Holy Cross Church, Augsburg.

History: The site of the Holy Cross Hospice was located outside the town walls of Augsburg. The name stems from an ancient cross relic which can still be seen in the Diocesan Museum. In the late 12th century, the Bishop of Augsburg put the hospice into the care of the Augustinian Canons Regular. At the beginning of the 13th century, a small wooden church for the parishioners and a simple convent were built. A miracle was said to have occurred in 1194 when a woman took a piece of the sacramental communion bread back home. The longer she kept it, the more it appeared to be transformed into a mysterious blood-red object. Five years later, she finally confessed to her misdemeanor and returned the...