The Catholic Nikolaus Church at Eiermarkt is the oldest preserved sacred building in Bad Kreuznach and is still used for services today. In 1266, the Counts of Sponheim initially built a chapel. It was expanded into a church in the following decades and dedicated to Saint Nicholas, who was regarded as the patron saint of fishermen, merchants, and butchers. The church belonged to the Kreuznach monastery of the Carmelite order for almost 300 years, which extended over the surrounding streets up to the Ellerbach. During the Reformation, the monastery was dissolved in the mid-16th century. Since then, the Nikolaus Church has served as a parish church. Notable features include the interior with richly carved benches, grave slabs depicting counts and knights, and wooden sculptures from the 15th century, as well as the unique cross reliquary, 1.40 m high, created in 1501. In the Middle Ages, the Latin school of the Carmelite order was the only school in the city. Here, in 1507, Master Georg Sabellicus Faust, the historical inspiration for Goethe's Faust, is said to have worked as a teacher.
