Provost Church of St. Peter

The Petruskirche is the oldest sacred building in the city and Vestes Recklinghausen and was appointed provost church in 1931. The current building was erected in the 13th century, but there were already two previous buildings. After a fire, the church was expanded in 1500 with a late Gothic transept. In the same year, 3 bells from the famous Dutch foundry van Wou were purchased. During the Second World War the church was hit by heavy bombs and has since been renovated several times. The Catholic provost church of St. Peter with its 72m high tower sits enthroned on the foundation walls of the Romanesque predecessor buildings. The mother church of Vestes was built in late Romanesque style after the town fire of 1247, and expanded in the 16th century with the addition of a Gothic choir. Particularly worth seeing in the Westphalian hall church are the Gothic tabernacle (1520), the body of Christ (1944th century) destroyed in the war in 15 and the baroque high altar from Rubens' workshop. The tower contains the bells by Gerhard van Wou (1505). The "historical primordial cell" around St. Peter, probably grown out of a Carolingian courtyard (8th century), has been the location of the city model since 2016. It invites the visually impaired and all citizens to get an overview of the exciting combination of medieval and modern city structure and the old town tour. It is framed by the seals of the city (1253) and the archbishop's ministeriales (1305).