St. Gereon's Basilica

Cologne, Germany

St. Gereon's Basilica (Basilika Sankt Gereon) was first mentioned in 612. However, the building of the choir gallery, apse, and transepts occurred later, beginning under Archbishop Arnold II von Wied in 1151 and ending in 1227. It is one of twelve great churches in Cologne that were built in the Romanesque style.

St. Gereon has a highly irregular plan, the nave being covered by a decagonal oval dome, 21.0 m long and 16.9 m wide, completed in 1227 on the remains of Roman walls, which are still visible. It is the largest dome built in the West between the erection of the Hagia Sophia in the 6th century and the Duomo of Florence in the 15th century.

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Address

Gereonsdriesch 5, Cologne, Germany
See all sites in Cologne

Details

Founded: 1151-1227
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

www.cologne-tourism.com
www.sacred-destinations.com
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Cologne Cathedral (0,9 km)
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User Reviews

Tom Fritzz (21 months ago)
One of the romanic churches in Cologne, my favorite one
Jefferson Aloia e Prado (21 months ago)
Very local and it is worth a visit.
Stefano Lisi (2 years ago)
Really quiet area just a bit outside of the city, this romanesque church is a nice hidden gem with a green area around
Nikki Heavner (2 years ago)
Very plain. Not very exciting on the inside. It's tough because there are so many amazing churches in Europe to compare it to.
Mabel Koh (2 years ago)
One of the more famous Romanesque churches in Cologne, it has a yellow geometrical structure and the interior decagonal dome and organ are beautiful. Don't forget to see the large sculpted head of the decapitated Roman soldier St. Gereon outside the church!
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