These altars were intended to commemorate the churches "St. Marien" on Marienplatz and "St. Jakobus" in Vöppstedt. Both churches were destroyed by troops from Brunswick and Goslar during the Hildesheim Beer Feud (1481-1486). The church name "St. Mariae Jakobi" also refers to these predecessors. And the oldest bell in the church, which was probably cast in 1481, recalls the destruction of the first Marienkirche in its inscription.

The Church of St. Mary James was built around 1480 as a fortified church and was part of the town's defenses. The walls of the defensive tower were two meters thick and 37 embrasures were used to defend against attacks.

The old church records contain many reports of building work on the church, for example the interior was repainted in 1667, the roof was renewed a few years later and the church was given a new altar in 1679. To make the interior brighter, the embrasures in the north wall were replaced by large windows in 1830, and the windows in the south wall were also enlarged.

In 1873, a small sacristy was built on the east wall, which was demolished in the 1960s in favor of an entrance. The church tower had been the property of the town since its construction and was only sold to the church in 1966. As a result, the main entrance to the church was moved to the north side of the tower and the entrances on the south side were converted back into windows. During this remodeling, which lasted from 1963 to 1967, the old furnishings were removed, the galleries were dismantled and the altar, pulpit, lectern and baptismal font were placed in front of the middle of the north wall. The visitors' benches were positioned so that one could look at the now central altar from the west, east and south sides. This arrangement, which was not tailored to the conditions of a hall church, was changed again in 1987/88 in favor of the traditional arrangement (altar in the east with the pastor facing the congregation, pews facing the altar).

The church has three bells, of which the "St. Barbara's storm bell" from around 1481 is the oldest. The largest bell, about whose origin it is only known that it was recast in its present form in 1572, bears the oldest depiction of the coat of arms of Salzgitter-Bad, a male head and two salt hooks below it, as well as an inscription.

The church's inventory includes a communion chalice from around 1400 and a second one from 1697, both made of gilded silver. The church also has two bronze altar candlesticks, which were made around 1600. The baptismal jug and font were made around 1865 by the master coppersmith August Martin, possibly his masterpiece. Also worth mentioning is a silver wafer box, which was donated to the church in 1712 by Johann Conrad Bielstein, the then administrator of the Liebenhalle salt works. The bronze crucifix, lectern and pulpit relief were created by sculptor Siegfried Zimmermann for the church, which was rebuilt in 1967.

Text: Markus Schulze, Ortsheimatpfleger for Hohenrode