St. Michael's Church

St Michael’s Church stands beside Fulda Cathedral in the quiet northern quarter of the town. Built between 820 and 822 for Abbot Eigil, it is the oldest German copy of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and shows Carolingian style. The monk Racholf probably designed it; he died in 824. The round building and crypt survive from that first building period. In the 10th and 11th centuries builders added a rectangular nave and a west tower. The church matters because it was Fulda monastery’s burial chapel after 744. Fulda became one of the leading cultural centres of the early Middle Ages, and this church kept that memory alive. Wall paintings from the 11th century still cover parts of the interior walls. A conical roof replaced the original over the rotunda in 1618, and a chapel was added to the north side in 1715–16. Restoration in 1853 renewed the fabric without changing its shape. Inside, the rotunda and crypt remain as they were in the 9th century. The nave and tower show later medieval work, while the 11th-century paintings show scenes from the life of Christ. The chapel on the north side holds smaller altars and side chapels. Outside, the church sits on a low rise above the town, with the cathedral close by and the town centre a short walk away.