St. Mary's Church, Barth, Germany

St. Mary’s Church in Barth is a brick church built around 1300 and it was mentioned for the first time in 1325. The church was created in 3 building phases, where the choir to the east is its oldest part and built in the early Gothic style.

The organ, which was created by the Berlin organ builder Buchholz and his son, promises a unique sound and is one of the particularly valuable organ monuments in Germany. Its special quality lies in its own beautiful sound and in its historic significance. With its 42 original stops, the instrument is the largest preserved work in Germany of the Buchholz organ builders and is at the same time the great early work of the son.

References:

Stadt Barth

User Reviews

gudrun rehm (3 years ago)
Eine sehr schöne Kirche. Wir waren dann noch im Lesecafe und haben dort noch einige Tips für sehenswerte Ziele erhalten.

PU Wendt (3 years ago)
Nicht das Pfarramt verdient fünf Sterne, sondern das von der Kirchengemeinde betriebene Lesecafé, das Kaffee, Gebäck und Bücher zu bieten hat - gegen eine Spende. Das Stöbern lohnt.

Niels Freckmann (3 years ago)
Schönes Pfarramt und Gemeindehaus der St. Marienkirche. In der Papenstraße hinter der St. Marien-Kirche steht das Gemeindehaus der Ev. Kirchengemeinde St. Marien. Im großen Gemeindesaal werden in den kalten Monaten die Gottesdienste gefeiert, weil die St. Marien-Kirche nicht beheizt werden kann. Der Saal wird außerdem für Gemeindefeiern, Chorproben, Gemeindenachmittage und vielseitige Veranstaltungen genutzt.

DORO-OPTIK Potsdam Thomas Doro (3 years ago)
Ort der Ruhe. Personal im Lesecafè nett und hilfsbereit. Turmbesteigung mühsam,aber der Blick entlohnt. Im Sommer tolle Orgelkonzerte.

F Rye (4 years ago)
Tolle Kirche. Mit der ältesten Kirchenbibliothek, die es in Deutschland gibt. Außerdem befindet sich in der Kirche (zur Spendensammlung) ein kleiner Bücherflohmarkt. Die Besteigung auf dem Turm ist keineswegs überteuert. Diese Kirche sollte man als Kirchenliebhaber nicht verpassen!

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Martin M. Miles

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The Abbey of Saint-Etienne, also known as Abbaye aux Hommes ('Men"s Abbey'), is a former monastery dedicated to Saint Stephen (Saint Étienne). It is considered, along with the neighbouring Abbaye aux Dames ('Ladies" Abbey'), to be one of the most notable Romanesque buildings in Normandy. Like all the major abbeys in Normandy, it was Benedictine.

Lanfranc, before being an Archbishop of Canterbury, was abbot of Saint-Etienne. Built in Caen stone during the 11th century, the two semi-completed churches stood for many decades in competition. An important feature added to both churches in about 1120 was the ribbed vault, used for the first time in France. The two abbey churches are considered forerunners of the Gothic architecture. The original Romanesque apse was replaced in 1166 by an early Gothic chevet, complete with rosette windows and flying buttresses. Nine towers and spires were added in the 13th century. The interior vaulting shows a similar progression, beginning with early sexpartite vaulting (using circular ribs) in the nave and progressing to quadipartite vaults (using pointed ribs) in the sanctuary.

The two monasteries were finally donated by William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda of Flanders, as penalty for their marriage against the Pope"s ruling. William was buried here; Matilda was buried in the Abbaye aux Dames. Unfortunately William"s original tombstone of black marble, the same kind as Matilda"s in the Abbaye aux Dames, was destroyed by the Calvinist iconoclasts in the 16th century and his bones scattered.

As a consequence of the Wars of Religion, the high lantern tower in the middle of the church collapsed and was never rebuilt. The Benedictine abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution and the abbey church became a parish church. From 1804 to 1961, the abbey buildings accommodated a prestigious high school, the Lycée Malherbe. During the Normandy Landings in 1944, inhabitants of Caen found refuge in the church; on the rooftop there was a red cross, made with blood on a sheet, to show that it was a hospital (to avoid bombings).

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