Alsfeld prays!First church building in Alsfeld

The basic findings about the origin of the main church of St. Walpurgis in Alsfeld are only 50 years old. When a modern warm-air heating system had to be installed in 1971/72, the existing floor had to be lifted to a certain depth.

The Alsfeld History and Museum Society used this opportunity for further excavations. Under the expert guidance of archaeologist Dr. Jürgen Michler (Marburg), it was possible to uncover not only early burial sites, but also evidence of various construction stages of the church.

The most impressive and oldest picture was revealed in the central nave:
Foundation remains of a first three-aisled basilica with a three-apsidal choir end. From this 16-meter-long and almost 11-meter-wide nucleus, the present church building including the tower developed in the following centuries.

Since there are no documents such as a consecration certificate, a statement about the age of the original church could only be made through typological comparisons. Accordingly, a foundation in the 9th/10th century, i.e. in pre-Romanesque times, can be assumed. It is only much later, in 1233, that a document proves the existence of a parish church in Alsfeld. And the oldest confirmation of the name of the patroness Walpurga is handed down in a letter of indulgence from 1331. NH