St. Bonifatius, Lorchhausen

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St. Bonifatius is a Catholic church in Lorchhausen, part of Lorch in Hesse, Germany. The big Gothic revival church was completed in 1879. The old 14th‑century church, also dedicated to Saint Boniface, was too small and had suffered fires in 1801 and again in 1872. Parish priest Wilhelm Aloys Ohlenschläger, starting in 1869, began plans for a larger church, but the Franco‑Prussian War delayed the project. Because the village is narrow, the new church could not be built on the old site, so the Pforten vineyard was chosen as the new location. Construction began in 1872, with the site prepared by local villagers.

In 1875 the Diocese of Limburg approved the Gothic revival design by Kontzen of Oestrich. The building was supervised by Franciscan Paschalis Gratze, who enlarged the interior. The cornerstone was laid on 19 March 1877. In May 1877 Max Meckel took over and made further changes to doors, windows, vaults, the dome and the floor. The church was consecrated on 5 June 1879 by Ohlenschläger. The parish later joined Heilig-Kreuz in Geisenheim and belongs to the Diocese of Limburg. The church has one tall west tower and three naves. Most furnishings date from 1884, including a high altar with scenes from Saint Boniface’s life by Theodor Stracke. After the old bells melted in the fire, four large bells were cast by Bach. The pipe organ was built in 1897 by Johannes Klais (two manuals, 14 stops) and was remodeled in 1962 by Klais and expanded in 1983 by Fischer & Krämer Orgelbau.