St. John's Basilica in Saarbrücken

Situated in the very heart of Saarbrücken, St. John's Basilica was built between 1754 and 1763. Prince William Henry, who provided the timber necessary for the construction of the basilica, chose Friedrich Joachim Stengel as architect for the project. Stengel designed a rectangular hall extending from south-westerly to north-easterly direction with the church tower directly above the portal. With its corner and median risalits along the longitudinal sides, the pilasters, and the rhythmic distribution of the high windows in changing forms, the building's façade resembles that of Saarbrücken's Church of St. Louis (Ludwigskirche). Likewise, the basilica's organ was a reproduction of the organ that can be found in the Church of St. Louis. Representative of St. John's is its tower, an onion dome with cupola and spire. In 1907, following plans by the architect Schmoll von Eisenwerth, the sacristy was added behind the choir in the shape of a neo-baroque octagon. On the northern façade, a restored gravestone was set into the wall commemorating Saarbrücken's last executioner, Nikolaus Rehn, who died in 1782.