Church of St Augustine of Canterbury, Wiesbaden

The Church of St Augustine of Canterbury, commonly known as The English Church at Wiesbaden (German: Die englische Kirche in Wiesbaden), is a Hessian heritage-listed Anglican parish church located at Frankfurter Strasse 3 in Wiesbaden, Germany. Built in 1865 and named in honour of St Augustine of Canterbury, it was designed in the Gothic Revival style by city engineer Theodor Goetz. The church remains historically, socially, and architecturally significant. The congregation traces its origins to 1836, when British visitors taking the waters at the international spa of Wiesbaden began holding English-speaking services of their own. These early services were conducted in the Mauritiuskirche (until its destruction in 1850) and in other places, such as the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten, the Biebricher Schloss, and later in the Marktkirche. The congregation grew rapidly, and in 1844 an appeal was made to Duke Adolf of Nassau, who granted land for a church. With help from the Kurhaus Trust, the church was built to the designs of Oberbaurat Götz in 1863/4 and consecrated on 22 July 1865. At the time of construction, the church was not incorporated as a legal entity, so the property was held in trust by the Kurhausaktiengesellschaft, the company responsible for coordinating the spa amenities of Wiesbaden. Among the early church leaders were Christopher Benson, brother of Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, and his wife Agnes, daughter of the Rev. Professor Robert Walker of Oxford. Benson served as churchwarden and treasurer, but also gave generously to the foundation of the English Church in Lugano. He died and was buried in Wiesbaden in 1890. During the First World War, with the British spa visitors who composed the parish gone, the church was no longer used for worship services. During the National Socialist period, the property, which the Kurhausaktiengesellschaft had held in trust for the no longer extant congregation, was expropriated by the state. After the end of the Second World War the U.S. military used the building as a military chapel until the current facility at Heinerberg was constructed in 1955. Then the property was deeded to the Bishop of London to return to its original purpose as an Anglican house of worship. Because a large portion of the congregation continued to be made up of members of the US military and civilian DoD employees and their dependents, the church began to take on an increasingly American character. It has used the American Book of Common Prayer since this point in time, had Americans serving as clergy, and by the 1990s came fully under the jurisdiction of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, part of the U.S.-based Episcopal Church. On 23 January 1966, a major fire, caused by a malfunction of the heating system, gutted the building. On 24 January 2014, the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe announced it would end services in the church and return the building to its owner, the Bishop of London. In March 2014, the Bishop-in-Charge of the Convocation, Pierre Whalon, appointed the Rev. Christopher Easthill (a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Germany) as priest-in-charge (now rector). Shortly thereafter the bishop agreed to suspend the decision to vacate the building until the congregation and its vestry were able to make further study of their various options for the future. Today, St. Augustine's is a welcoming, inclusive, English-speaking community situated right in the middle of Wiesbaden. It is part of the Episcopal Church in Europe and of the wider Anglican Communion with member churches all over the world. The church offers regular worship services including Sunday Eucharist, Compline, Family Service, and Evensong, along with a variety of groups and activities such as adult Christian formation, Sunday School, youth groups, an LGBTQIA+ group, concerts, and community events like the Christmas Bazaar.

The Church of St Augustine of Canterbury, commonly known as The English Church at Wiesbaden (German: Die englische Kirche in Wiesbaden), is a Hessian heritage-listed Anglican parish church located at Frankfurter Strasse 3 in Wiesbaden, Germany. Built in 1865 and named in honour of St Augustine of Canterbury, it was designed in the Gothic Revival style by city engineer Theodor Goetz. The church remains historically, socially, and architecturally significant. Early records show that British visitors to the spa at Wiesbaden began holding Anglican services in 1836 which were conducted in the Mauritiuskirche (until its destruction in 1850) and in other places, such as the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten, the Biebricher Schloss, and later in the Marktkirche. The congregation grew rapidly and in 1844 an appeal was made to the Duke Adolf of Nassau and granted for land to build a church. With help from the Kurhaus Trust, the church was built to the designs of Oberbaurat Götz in 1863/4 and consecrated on 22 July 1865. It was named after St. Augustine of Canterbury, who was sent from Rome by Pope Gregory the Great in 597 to convert the English. The cornerstone of the building was laid on 3 June 1863. At the time of construction, the church was not incorporated as a legal entity, so the property was held in trust by the Kurhausaktiengesellschaft, the company responsible for coordinating the spa amenities of Wiesbaden. Among the early church leaders were Christopher Benson, brother of Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, and his wife Agnes, daughter of the Rev. Professor Robert Walker of Oxford. Benson served as churchwarden and treasurer, but also gave generously to the foundation of the English Church in Lugano. He died and was buried in Wiesbaden in 1890. In the First World War, with the British spa visitors who composed the parish gone, the church was no longer used for worship services. During the National Socialist period, the property, which the Kurhausaktiengesellschaft had held in trust for the no longer extant congregation, was expropriated by the state. After the end of the Second World War the U.S. military used the building as a military chapel until the current facility at Heinerberg was constructed in 1955. Then the property was deeded to the Bishop of London to return to its original purpose as an Anglican house of worship. Because a large portion of the congregation continued to be made up of members of the US military and civilian DoD employees and their dependents, the church began to take on an increasingly American character. It has used the American Book of Common Prayer since this point in time, had Americans serving as clergy, and by the 1990s came fully under the jurisdiction of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, part of the U.S.-based Episcopal Church. On 23 January 1966, a major fire, caused by a malfunction of the heating system, gutted the building. On 24 January 2014, the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe announced it would end services in the church and return the building to its owner, the Bishop of London. In March 2014, the Bishop-in-Charge of the Convocation, Pierre Whalon, appointed the Rev. Christopher Easthill (a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Germany) as priest-in-charge (now rector). Shortly thereafter the bishop agreed to suspend the decision to vacate the building until the congregation and its vestry were able to make further study of their various options for the future. Today, St. Augustine's is a welcoming, inclusive, English-speaking community situated right in the middle of Wiesbaden. It is part of the Episcopal Church in Europe and of the wider Anglican Communion with member churches all over the world. The church offers regular worship services including Sunday Eucharist, Compline, Family Service, and Evensong, along with a variety of groups and activities such as adult Christian formation, Sunday School, youth groups, an LGBTQIA+ group, concerts, and community events like the Christmas Bazaar. Outreach efforts include supporting Malawi, Teestube Hildastift, the Romanian Mission, the Alliance for Democracy, and helping refugees. In 2025, the church celebrates its 160th anniversary.

• British visitors to the spa at Wiesbaden began holding Anglican services.

• Appeal made to Duke Adolf of Nassau for land to build a church; land granted.

• Cornerstone of the building laid.

• Church consecrated.

• Christopher Benson, early churchwarden and treasurer, died and was buried in Wiesbaden.

• U.S. military chapel at Heinerberg constructed; building deeded to the Bishop of London.

• Major fire caused by heating system malfunction gutted the building.

• Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe announced end of services and return of building to Bishop of London.

• Rev. Christopher Easthill appointed priest-in-charge; decision to vacate suspended.

• 160th anniversary of the church.

A welcoming, inclusive, English-speaking Anglican/Episcopal community in the heart of Wiesbaden, part of the Episcopal Church in Europe and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

1. 1Official websitestaugustines.de
2. 2History – The Church of St Augustine of Canterburystaugustines.de
3. 3Family Service – The Church of St Augustine of Canterburystaugustines.de
4. 4Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org