The parish church of St John, Bayreuth

Gem of Wilhelmine's Hermitage

Nearby in the palace park the Sun Temple shines, but in St John’s church all honour is due to the triune God.
As in most old village churches, the choir area is in the basement of the tower. This part of the old fortified church over the Red Main river still exists, and with it the gothic vault and the late medieval frescoes; the ‘wise and foolish virgins’ and the four Evangelists. Here they are shown as symbolic winged figures, but around the baroque pulpit altar they are shown as people with open books and the same symbols.
The initial ‘F’ on the roof of the pulpit is testimony to the nave’s being built between 1741-1745 under Margrave Friedrich. But the highest position belongs to the Risen One with the flag of victory, surrounded by a magnificent halo of rays of light, who bursts through the clouds. All is the work of the court sculptor Johann Gabriel Räntz. The font angel with the scallop shell is kept deliberately androgenous.
The heavens open through stucco decoration above the congregation. White and golden beams shine on a discreet blue background. Four angels hover around the golden triangle with the Eye, which looks down with a friendly expression. Flowers decorate not just the ceiling, but the galleries too, in silvery glowing colours, harmoniously and symmetrically arranged, yet every panel different and individual. They show the joy of creation and are a foretaste of Heaven.

Discover
the church.

The parish church of St John
Altentrebgastplatz 4
95448 Bayreuth

Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 09:00-16:00
April - October: open until 18:00.

Evang.-Luth. Pfarramt Bayreuth-St. Johannis
0921 92427
pfarramt@stjohannis-bayreuth.de
stjohannis-bayreuth.de

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Car parking
  • Charging station electric bikes
  • Public transport
  • Food and drink
  • Church tours

Explore
the surroundings.

It's worth going a little bit further: many churches lie on lovely cycle, walking and pilgrim paths. You will find an overview of them in the following map, as well as places worth seeing nearby. It also has links to local area, church and tourist information websites.

Bike tracks, pilgrim paths and hiking trails close to The parish church of St John:

Die Burgenstraße 950 km Thermentour 125 km Fichtelgebirgs-Radweg 83 km Haidenaab-Radweg 91 km Bayreuth Radring – Schleife D 19 km Rotmain-Wanderweg 25 km Jean-Paul-Weg 200 km Casanovas Ausritt 191 km Mitteleuropa-Route-EuroVelo 4 5100 km Obermain-Frankenwald-Tour 236 km Radweg D11 Ostsee-Oberbayern 1694 km Saar-Mosel-Main – D-Route 5 987 km Markgrafenkirchen und sehr viel mehr
Tour 01: “Bayreuth – Bindlach”
20 km

Visit the
events.

Find more events on the church's website or the Evangelische Termine portal (Evangelical events portal).