St. Maria im Kapitol, Cologne, Germany

St. Maria im Kapitol is an 11th-century Romanesque church located in the Kapitol-Viertel in the old town of Cologne. It was dedicated to St. Mary and built between 1040 and 1065. It is one of twelve Romanesque churches built in Cologne during this period.

Measuring 100 m x 40 m and encompassing 4,000 square metres of internal space, St. Maria is the largest of the Romanesque churches in Cologne. Like many of the latter, it has an east end which is trefoil in shape, with three apses. It has a nave and aisles and three towers to the west. It is considered the most important work of German church architecture of the Salian dynasty.

The first Maria im Kapitol church is said to have been built by Plectrudis, wife of Pippin in the 8th century. The foundations of a Roman temple from the late 1st century AD, dedicated to the Capitoline Triad, and those of a church from the year 690 AD, can be visited in the church's crypt.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

April Croes (3 years ago)
This was a hidden spot in Cologne. Very quiet but beautiful. The signs inside said they only have 400 active members so donations from tourists are very helpful with church upkeep. Quite impressive from inside, though not as impressive from the outside.

Tim Croes (3 years ago)
Small but pretty church. Make sure to donate some money when going:).

Stef Leemen (4 years ago)
Beautiful rebuild romanesque church. Most interesting: 1000-year old carved Doors.

Michael Lee (5 years ago)
This was a good visit. This is a quiet place to enjoy the garden in the cloister. The building is well cared for. Please bear in mind that this is a practicing church, and there frequent services. Please just check the signs before going in. Easy access by tram and a short walk.

Shigella deShige (5 years ago)
Wonderful place with long history. Unfortunately it suffered during WWII, but it was rebuilt. Church is located outside strict city centre, but I believe it is worth seeing. Church provides little leaflets describing the important monuments inside

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Mark1792

Historic Site of the week

Rosenborg Castle

Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.

The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.

Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.

St. Maria im Kapitol

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historical Gems of Costa Verde

Historic Site of the week

Rosenborg Castle