20th century Foundation by Arnold Hensler at the southern wall of the steeple by Arnold Hensler and Otto Zirnbauer in its original place in the entrance hall
tabernacle from 1968 containing a fragment of the
Holy Cross for the three parish priests inside the church -
Labyrinth made with 2500 burning tealights the Saturday before
Gaudete Sunday in 2011 labyrinth in 2013 in 2011 with crib by Arnold Hensler and Otto Zirnbauer The Holy Cross church was built in 1929 by the master church builder Martin Weber and is at the edge of the housing development at the
Bornheimer Hang. Weber also built the churches of St. Bonifatius in
Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen in 1927 and of the
Holy Spirit in
Frankfurt-Riederwald in 1931. With these Frankfurt churches, alongside the
Frauenfriedenskirche and the Pallottinerkirche St. Marien in
Limburg an der Lahn, Martin Weber stands for "Neues Bauen" (=New Building Style) in the spirit of the
Liturgical Movement in the
Roman Catholic Church. The church is located on the eastern edge of the settlement planned by
Ernst May as part of the
New Frankfurt (German:
Neues Frankfurt)
urban planning programme, above the Bornheimer Hang (=Bornheim slope). It is the most
prominent church in New Frankfurt in terms of
urban planning and, visible from afar, shapes the silhouette of the Bornheimer Hang settlement. On the side facing the city, the building forms the end point of Wittelsbacherallee, marking the end of the
visual axis. However, it is not strictly
axially symmetric, as the street turns right shortly before the portal to leave the
wide steps of the church on the left. This urban design gesture is a mixture of representativeness and understatement and is exemplary of the style of New Frankfurt. The church is not an aloof structure, but blends seamlessly into the surrounding buildings. The
white plastered
façade matches the surrounding residential buildings of the settlement. The original four dials without
numbers on the
tower clocks, which can still be seen today on the front sides of the tower, can also be found on the former Frankfurt
Großmarkthalle (=Frankfurt wholesale market hall) and other prominent buildings of New Frankfurt. Directly next to the church, the central laundry of the settlement was originally located in the archway above Ortenberger Strasse. Martin Weber took up Ernst May's clear design language and, with soaring
round arches as a consistent design element both outside and inside, translated the essence of late
Romanesque church architecture into the modern age. It blends seamlessly into May's modernism of New Frankfurt and yet stands out as a house of God. According to
Helmut Schlegel, the church reflected the attitude to life of the public at the time of its creation, who, after the
First World War and the
global economic crisis in the 1930s, longed for new
hope, space and grandeur. The community centre originally planned for the
Wittelsbacherallee was not built, so there was enough space to build the new church. The Holy Cross Church was the second Catholic church in Frankfurt-Bornheim. The
parish was an outsourcing of the later neighbour fold
St. Josef, the first Catholic church in Bornheim. The reason why their priest Joseph Höhler decided to build the new church at this location was the expansion of the Bornheim quarter eastward at the
Bornheimer Hang, with the new settlement. This resulted in a growing number of Roman Catholics living in the quarter. After the Catholic community had acquired the two plots of land totaling 6,200 m2 needed for the construction of the church in 1926 and 1927, the church executive committee decided in May 1927 to invite tenders for a closed
architectural competition. Four architectural firms were invited: Hans (1872–1952) and Christoph Rummel (1881–1961) (Frankfurt), Richard Steidle (1881–1958) (Munich),
Martin Weber (1890–1941) (Frankfurt), and Robert B. Witte (Dresden). The jury consisted of eight people, including the then parish priest, Pastor Höhler, as representative of the parish of St. Josef, the city planning officer Ernst May, and the architect Hans Herkommer. The competition had several stipulations for the church, e.g. the front of the
steeple at the
Wittelsbacherallee, between 700 and 800 seats, a high altar and two side altars and an organ loft for 150 people. On 3 August 1927 a jury decided in a competition for the draft with the name slope crown by the master church builder Martin Weber (1890–1941). Weber called the building model "slope crown", since the church should crown the
Bornheimer Hang (slope). On 19 February 1928 the construction work began with the
turning of the first sod. The foundation stone was laid on 18 March 1928. A
deed with text in the shape of a
cross, two daily
newspapers, a yearbook of Frankfurt Catholics, five
Reichsmarks in various currencies, and a bottle of
Rhine wine were walled into the foundation stone. The
topping-out ceremony was celebrated on 14 September 1928. On 25 August 1929 the church was
consecrated by
Ludwig Maria Hugo, the bishop of the
Diocese of Mainz, because Augustinus Kilian, the bishop of the Diocese of Limburg at the time, was ill. The name was chosen because there were several places in medieval Frankfurt dedicated to the
holy cross. One of these was the chapel of the Hospital of the Holy Cross which was donated in 1343 by Wicker Frosch. Together with the chapel of the monastery of
St. Katharinen which was built in 1354, it formed a small
double church, the predecessor building of the today's Evangelical-Lutheran
Katharinen church. In Holy Cross Church there is a
reliquary containing a splinter of the Holy Cross. Until 1950 the
Holy Cross parish was financially still a part of the
St. Josef parish, with which it has a common church executive committee.
Second World War During the Nazi era (from 1933) the
Holy Cross parish was suppressed by the
Nazis, and it lost fold members during
World War II. Because of its prominent location, the church was used as a point of reference for the
navigation of the
bombers of the
USAAF and the
RAF. The windows at the west side of the church were destroyed
on 4 October 1943 in an attack intended for the water works near the cemetery of Bornheim and destroyed the housing estate's
wash house. During the first large-scale attack on Frankfurt in the evening of the same day, the windows of the eastern side and the
parsonage building were destroyed by a line of bombs which came down on the
garden plots at the
Bornheimer Hang. With the next large attack on the city on
29 January 1944 parsonage building was heavily damaged. On the night of the 18/19 March 1944 the church was hit by several
incendiary bombs, which pierced the
roof timberwork. The bombs were extinguished inside the church. On 11 December 1944 the church was hit by three high-explosive bombs on its west side, completely destroying the large
open staircase on the west side of the church tower and partially destroying the temporary chapel behind it in what later became the tower hall on the ground floor of the tower building, tearing a large hole in the west side of the
nave. Pastor Georg Nilges wanted to retrieve the
eucharist from the temporary chapel, but jumped back and thus escaped the explosion of the two bombs that devastated the lower church and completely destroyed its
sacristy. The entire inventory, including
chalices,
monstrance, and
thurible, was destroyed. Afterwards, church services had to be held in the boiler room below the tower, known as the "catacomb," which was used as an
air raid shelter. In addition to the air raids, there were also attacks by low-flying aircraft. On 29 March 1945, the first soldiers of the
United States Army stood in front of the church.
Post-war period The boiler room underneath the steeple was used until 1. July 1946 as church. During the reconstruction period, starting on 26 September 1948, in which the external appearance of the church was preserved, the parish hall beneath the church was used as a lower church, which at that time was still connected to what would later become the
crypt, where the
altar area was located. In 1950
Holy Cross became its own parish with its own church executive committee. In 1951, the contract for the restoration of the church was awarded under the leadership of architect Harald Greiner. By 1952, the interior of the church had been restored to its original condition and freshly renovated, and the large open staircase on the west side of the tower had been rebuilt. The
church windows were glazed new by the glass painter Lorenz Matheis with
stained glass window in
white and
golden yellow colours. The walls and the ceiling were painted in a single
light colour. 1957 the
kindergarten in the west of the church was built. In 1965 a
stage for events was built in the parish hall under the church ship during a renovation. In 1968 the
altar area was transformed, a consequence of the liturgy reformation by the
Second Vatican Council. The high altar, which was reduced in size, with the
relics of the two
martyrs
Laurence and Urban was moved further down from its previous position under the cross, without the previous
marble tabernacle, so that the
priest could celebrate
mass facing the congregation. A stone
lectern replaced the demolished
pulpit. The boundary walls of the
ambones on the left and right were each replaced by a
guard rail. In the right-hand ambo, a new
blue enamelled tabernacle decorated with gilded metal grilles and rock crystals was placed on a marble pedestal. The two side altars and the
communion benches were removed. The
baptismal font stood for 22 years at the former location of the altar under the large wall cross in the
choir room. The ceiling was painted
orange-
red and the walls light
beige. In 1969, the first parish council election took place. The dark pews were replaced with light wood benches in 1971. In 1975, the administrative council elected by the parish council replaced the church council. In 1990, as part of a restoration project led by architect Bernhard Weber (1930–2000), the
chancel underwent further redesign. The baptismal font was moved back to the entrance area of the church. In its previous location, a sacrament altar with a tabernacle was erected, taking the place of the former high altar. The main altar was shortened again and the altar level was extended into the congregation area, with the lectern placed on the left side of the altar level. In 1992, during the
renovation of the church interior, the original condition of the interior painting with its
chequerboard pattern in light and dark
red was largely restored, the large wall cross was extended to the ceiling and the inscription
INRI was added to the upper part, and the apses were given boundary walls again. In 1995, the parish garden on Kettelerallee was reduced in size by residential buildings. In 1997, the previously unnamed square in front of the church tower at the upper end of Wittelsbacherallee was redesigned and given the name Martin-Weber-Platz.
21st century Holy Cross – Centre for Christian Meditation and Spirituality At 1. August 2007 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limburg intended the church on instruction of former bishop
Franz Kamphaus to the
Holy Cross – Centre for Christian Meditation and Spirituality. The centre was a pastoral institution of the diocese under the responsibility of the Pastoral Care and Education Division, Pastoral Care and Development Department (as of 9/2025). In the centre
church services,
meditation courses,
contemplative prayer,
Zen-meditation courses, days of reflection,
spiritual exercises,
retreats, and other meetings are offered. The Padre
Helmut Schlegel of the
Franciscan takes the responsibility for the offers as director/conductor of the centre until July 2018 and as a priestly employee until June 2019. In November 2018 the theologian Samuel Stricker took over the leadership of the meditation centre and in August 2019 Olaf Lindenberg the role as a priestly employee. The team included colleagues like for example from the
Medical Mission Sisters (MMS). Although the offerings of the centre are affected by
Christianity the target audience includes humans of all
Religious denominations,
world views and
cultures. The team published a program normally annual. It was the first institution of its kind in
Germany. The
Holy Cross Church was one of five profile churches of the Diocese of Limburg. Furthermore, there were besides the
Centre for Mourning Counselling (German:
Zentrum für Trauerseelsorge) in
St.Michael in
Frankfurt-Nordend as well founded in 2007 also the three youth churches (German: Jugendkirchen)
Crossover in
St. Hildegard in
Limburg an der Lahn,
Jona in
St. Bonifatius in
Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen and
Kana in
Maria-Hilf in
Wiesbaden-Nordost which were founded already in 2005. In the church, small changes were gradually implemented by 2010. The previous church
pews have been replaced by
folding chairs, which allowed a more flexible use of the available space. The present main altar was no longer used for the church services of the centre for meditation and has been replaced by a small
wooden altar, which formed a circle with the
folding chairs.
Stairlifts or
wheelchair ramps have been installed for
barrier-free access to the church interior or other premises. The crypt and the rooms of the former
parsonage were redesigned for the use as a meditation centre. In March 2020, the centre's program had to be suspended because all worship services in Germany and thus all other events had to be cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. However, at certain times the church was daily open for meditation for a limited number of people. In May services were resumed on Saturdays under special conditions. In Advent 2020, four theme weeks were held with a special light show, the Advent Labyrinth, the Peace Light and about light figures. In December 2020, a
Protestant vicar of the
Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau was employed for the first time in a six-month special vicariate in the centre. On 20 August 2025, it was announced that the meditation centre of the Diocese of Limburg would be closing at the end of the year with a celebration on the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of
Advent, 20 December 2025, after more than 18 years. The future use of the premises in Heilig Kreuz had not yet been decided at that time. This is determined jointly by the Diocese of Limburg; the parish of St. Josef Frankfurt, in whose parish territory the Holy Cross Church is located; and the Association of Catholic Parishes in Frankfurt. Further details were announced at the beginning of December 2025 (see
Current Use). On 20 May 2025, a team from the diocese decided instead to establish a specialist centre for spirituality, whose location, venues and programme were not yet known at that time. The Missionary Medical Sisters continue to work in this facility. Provided that future use of Holy Cross Church is compatible with specific offerings from the Spirituality Centre, the intention at that time was that the centre could continue to use the church premises if necessary.
From the new parish of St. Josef to the parish of a new type With the establishment of the
Centre for Christian Meditation and Christian Spirituality, the
Holy Cross Church lost its previous role as a
parish church. Thus, the former municipal territory of the
Holy Cross parish belonged again to the parish of
St. Josef from which the parish once emanated. The two Catholic Bornheim congregations, with a part of the parish territory of the previous parish of
St. Michael, were united to form the new parish of
St. Josef. The Church of
St. Michael in
Frankfurt-Nordend became the
Zentrum für Trauerseelsorge (=
Centre for Mourning Counselling) of the Diocese of Limburg. The parish of
St. Josef in Bornheim and the neighbouring parish of
Maria Rosenkranz (=
Mary Rosary) in Frankfurt-Seckbach formed the common pastoral area Frankfurt-Bornheim. Together with their neighbours
Maria Rosenkranz in
Frankfurt-Seckbach, the new
St. Josef parishioners formed the pastoral area Frankfurt-Bornheim until 31 December 2011, in which a stronger cooperation than before took place. The parish of
St. Josef was at this time with almost 11,000 Catholics one of the largest in the Diocese of Limburg. On 1 January 2012 the pastoral rooms in Frankfurt were reorganized and from the two pastoral areas of Frankfurt-Bornheim with the parishes of
St. Josef-Bornheim and
Maria Rosenkranz in Seckbach and Frankfurt-Ost with the two parishes of
Heilig-Geist (=
Holy Spiritin
Frankfurt-Riederwald and
Herz-Jesu (=
Heart of Jesus) in
Frankfurt-Fechenheim, a new pastoral area called
Frankfurt-Ost was created. It existed until 31 December 2014. On 1 January 2015, a parish of the new type under the name of
St. Josef Frankfurt am Main was founded from the four parishes of the pastoral area
Frankfurt-Ost St. Josef in Bornheim,
Maria Rosenkranz in Seckbach,
Heilig-Geist in Riederwald and
Herz-Jesu in Fechenheim with the church places of
Sankt Josef Bornheim,
Maria Rosenkranz Seckbach,
Heilig-Geist Riederwald and
Herz-Jesu Fechenheim. This includes the centralization of certain tasks, such as the parish secretariat. The parish now has about 16,500 members. By its location in the parish of the new parish of
St. Josef Frankfurt am Main, it was also their branch church again from 2007 bis 2015. The buildings are managed by the Catholic City Church of Frankfurt am Main. == Building ==