St. Marien zu Lübeck, Lübeck,
500m from St. Jakobi is St Mary, another church on an almost impossibly grand scale. Built also of brick, it towers over the surrounding streets and Rathaus.
It was also unlocked, so we went in and were stunned by the size of the church, and the wonderful painted decorations which still covered the pillars.
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The Lutheran Marienkirche (St. Mary's church) in Lübeck (German: Lübecker Marienkirche or officially St. Marien zu Lübeck: St. Mary's of Lübeck) was constructed between 1250 and 1350. For many years it has been a symbol of the power and prosperity of the old Hanseatic city, and as Germany's third-largest church it remains the tallest building of the old part of Lübeck. It is larger than Lübeck Cathedral. Along with the city, the church has been listed by UNESCO as of cultural significance.
It is a model for the brick Gothic style of northern Germany, reflected in approximately 70 churches in the Baltic Area. In Lübeck, the high-rising Gothic style of France was adapted to north German brick. At 38.5 meters (125 ft) the church has the highest brick vault in the world. Taking the weather vanes into account, the towers are 124.95 meters (406 ft) and 124.75 meters (405.5 ft) high.
St. Mary's is located in the merchant's borough, which stretches from the docks of the River Trave all the way up to the church itself. It is the main church of the local council and the people of Lübeck, and was erected near the market and town hall.
Constructions previously began during the first German colonization, resulting in a wooden church and then during the reformation of the town's establishment in 1156, a bigger Romanesque brick church. However, in the 13th century the prestigious spatial demands of the self-conscious, commercially motivated inhabitants were no longer satisfied. Romanesque sculptures of the décor of this second Marienkirche are shown today in the St. Annen Museum.
Gothic Cathedrals in France and the Flanders made out of natural stone were examples of modern construction from the three aisled Lübeck Basilika. It is an exemplary stone gothic church and was the model for many churches in the Baltic Sea area.
No one had ever built a church complete with a vault this high before. A system of stilts diverts the force of the vault over a buttress, thus making the enormous height possible. The incentive for the Lübeck town council to commence such a huge construction was justified due to an acrimonious dispute with the Lübeck Diocese. It was wanted as a symbol of the free will of remote buyers and the world power of the city after obtaining Reichsfrei status in 1226. With this huge structure dwarfing the nearby romanesque Bishop’s church in the market (founded by Heinrich der Löwe: Henry the Lion) and the Lübeck town hall, it was a claim of supremacy regarding the acquisition of power opposite emerging members of the Hanseatic League of 1356.
The Briefkapelle, or Epistle Chapel, was added by the south tower in 1310. This chapel with its doorway to the public market also served as an entrance hall to the cathedral itself. Another significant chapel was added in 1390 by the Rat (city council). This brick chapel belongs not to the church but to the city council itself.
In 1310 the Briefkapelle was built on to the east of the south tower. At the same time it was an atrium and chapel, and formed a portal; the church's second main entrance conveniently in the direction of the market. Probably originally dedicated to the Holy Anna, the chapel received its current name during the Church Reformation, when paid scribes began to move in. The chapel, 12 m long, 8 m deep and 2 m high is arched over a stone vault and is considered a master work of high gothic construction. It has often been compared to English gothic cathedrals and the chapter house of Marienburg. Today the Letter Chapel serves the community as a church during winter, with services from January to March: the main church area is far too cold to be used at that time of year.
On the southeast corner of the ambulatory, the town council built its own chapel in 1390, known as the Bürgermeisterkapelle (literally: mayoral chapel). This can be recognized by the difference of glazed and unglazed brick on the outside walls. In the upper floor of the chapel is the "Trese" (tresecamere), the well secured depository for municipal documents, rights, handfasts and contracts of the Lübeck city council. This part of the church is still used to hold town property today.
From 1444 the eastern section of the ambulatory was extended with a single bayed chapel, its 5 walls forming five eighths of an octagon – the last gothic extension of the church. This chapel served as the location for sung hourly prayers as part of the Marienverehrung (St Mary's Worship), the Marienzeiten or Marientiden and consequently earned the names Marientidenkapelle (St Mary’s Tidings Chapel or Sängerkapelle (Singer’s Chapel).
In total the Marienkirche has nine large chapels and ten smaller ones. The small ones serve mainly as gravesites for family members of the Lübeck city council.
St. Marien zu Lübeck, Lübeck,
500m from St. Jakobi is St Mary, another church on an almost impossibly grand scale. Built also of brick, it towers over the surrounding streets and Rathaus.
It was also unlocked, so we went in and were stunned by the size of the church, and the wonderful painted decorations which still covered the pillars.
------------------------------------
The Lutheran Marienkirche (St. Mary's church) in Lübeck (German: Lübecker Marienkirche or officially St. Marien zu Lübeck: St. Mary's of Lübeck) was constructed between 1250 and 1350. For many years it has been a symbol of the power and prosperity of the old Hanseatic city, and as Germany's third-largest church it remains the tallest building of the old part of Lübeck. It is larger than Lübeck Cathedral. Along with the city, the church has been listed by UNESCO as of cultural significance.
It is a model for the brick Gothic style of northern Germany, reflected in approximately 70 churches in the Baltic Area. In Lübeck, the high-rising Gothic style of France was adapted to north German brick. At 38.5 meters (125 ft) the church has the highest brick vault in the world. Taking the weather vanes into account, the towers are 124.95 meters (406 ft) and 124.75 meters (405.5 ft) high.
St. Mary's is located in the merchant's borough, which stretches from the docks of the River Trave all the way up to the church itself. It is the main church of the local council and the people of Lübeck, and was erected near the market and town hall.
Constructions previously began during the first German colonization, resulting in a wooden church and then during the reformation of the town's establishment in 1156, a bigger Romanesque brick church. However, in the 13th century the prestigious spatial demands of the self-conscious, commercially motivated inhabitants were no longer satisfied. Romanesque sculptures of the décor of this second Marienkirche are shown today in the St. Annen Museum.
Gothic Cathedrals in France and the Flanders made out of natural stone were examples of modern construction from the three aisled Lübeck Basilika. It is an exemplary stone gothic church and was the model for many churches in the Baltic Sea area.
No one had ever built a church complete with a vault this high before. A system of stilts diverts the force of the vault over a buttress, thus making the enormous height possible. The incentive for the Lübeck town council to commence such a huge construction was justified due to an acrimonious dispute with the Lübeck Diocese. It was wanted as a symbol of the free will of remote buyers and the world power of the city after obtaining Reichsfrei status in 1226. With this huge structure dwarfing the nearby romanesque Bishop’s church in the market (founded by Heinrich der Löwe: Henry the Lion) and the Lübeck town hall, it was a claim of supremacy regarding the acquisition of power opposite emerging members of the Hanseatic League of 1356.
The Briefkapelle, or Epistle Chapel, was added by the south tower in 1310. This chapel with its doorway to the public market also served as an entrance hall to the cathedral itself. Another significant chapel was added in 1390 by the Rat (city council). This brick chapel belongs not to the church but to the city council itself.
In 1310 the Briefkapelle was built on to the east of the south tower. At the same time it was an atrium and chapel, and formed a portal; the church's second main entrance conveniently in the direction of the market. Probably originally dedicated to the Holy Anna, the chapel received its current name during the Church Reformation, when paid scribes began to move in. The chapel, 12 m long, 8 m deep and 2 m high is arched over a stone vault and is considered a master work of high gothic construction. It has often been compared to English gothic cathedrals and the chapter house of Marienburg. Today the Letter Chapel serves the community as a church during winter, with services from January to March: the main church area is far too cold to be used at that time of year.
On the southeast corner of the ambulatory, the town council built its own chapel in 1390, known as the Bürgermeisterkapelle (literally: mayoral chapel). This can be recognized by the difference of glazed and unglazed brick on the outside walls. In the upper floor of the chapel is the "Trese" (tresecamere), the well secured depository for municipal documents, rights, handfasts and contracts of the Lübeck city council. This part of the church is still used to hold town property today.
From 1444 the eastern section of the ambulatory was extended with a single bayed chapel, its 5 walls forming five eighths of an octagon – the last gothic extension of the church. This chapel served as the location for sung hourly prayers as part of the Marienverehrung (St Mary's Worship), the Marienzeiten or Marientiden and consequently earned the names Marientidenkapelle (St Mary’s Tidings Chapel or Sängerkapelle (Singer’s Chapel).
In total the Marienkirche has nine large chapels and ten smaller ones. The small ones serve mainly as gravesites for family members of the Lübeck city council.