St. Maria Lyskirchen, Cologne, Germany

St. Maria Lyskirchen is the smallest of the twelve Romanesque churches in Cologne. It was founded in 948, and the present building dates from 1210-1220, with some later additions in the Gothic style. The upper parts of the west front were rebuilt in the 19th century. The church is in the form of a three-aisled basilica, with a chancel flanked by two towers, only one of which was constructed to its full height, and an eastern apse. The building received only minor damage during the wars.

The church has a sculptured Romanesque portal, and a cycle of 13th century ceiling paintings. Rediscovered in the 19th century, they are unique in Cologne and show stories from the Old and New Testaments. The church contains the 'Schiffermadonna' (Seaman's Madonna), a wooden statue of 1420. A triptych by Joos van Cleve, with a central panel of the Lamentation, was sold in 1812; a few years later it was replaced with a copy by Benedikt Beckenkamp, which remains in the church.

References:

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User Reviews

Eugen Safin (8 months ago)
Quiet and peaceful church. Great experience!

Morteza Mohammadi (12 months ago)
Ok

Bibi Bibubobo (2 years ago)
St. Mary in Lyskirchen is the smallest of the twelve large Romanesque basilicas in the old town of Cologne. The Roman Catholic parish church belongs to the archbishopric of Cologne and is located in the old town south. It was built in its present form as a three-aisled basilica between 1198/1200 and 1225. St. Mary in Lyskirchen is characterized by historical vault frescoes from the 13th century. The name Lyskirchen is probably derived from a Mr. Lisolvus or Lysolfus, who built the original building as a church of its own. The church as well as the attached sexton house and the sacristy are listed buildings.

mike elliott (2 years ago)
A very little quaint church. If you weren't looking for it you would miss it. Very beautiful. When I went there wasnt alot of people there. So I would suggest going there to get away from the crowds. It was very peaceful inside. Very beautiful on the inside and out.

Don Miller (2 years ago)
Wonderful gothic church with an excellent organ - fortunate to hear organist practicing a recital!

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The first historical record of Lednice locality dates from 1222. At that time there stood a Gothic fort with courtyard, which was lent by Czech King Václav I to Austrian nobleman Sigfried Sirotek in 1249.

At the end of the 13th century the Liechtensteins, originally from Styria, became holders of all of Lednice and of nearby Mikulov. They gradually acquired land on both sides of the Moravian-Austrian border. Members of the family most often found fame in military service, during the Renaissance they expanded their estates through economic activity. From the middle of the 15th century members of the family occupied the highest offices in the land. However, the family’s position in Moravia really changed under the brothers Karel, Maximilian, and Gundakar of Liechtenstein. Through marriage Karel and Maximilian acquired the great wealth of the old Moravian dynasty of the Černohorskýs of Boskovice. At that time the brothers, like their father and grandfather, were Lutheran, but they soon converted to Catholicism, thus preparing the ground for their rise in politics. Particularly Karel, who served at the court of Emperor Rudolf II, became hetman of Moravia in 1608, and was later raised to princely status by King Matyas II and awarded the Duchy of Opava.

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In the 16th century it was probably Hartmann II of Liechtenstein who had the old medieval water castle torn down and replaced with a Renaissance chateau. At the end of the 17th century the chateau was torn down and a Baroque palace was built, with an extensive formal garden, and a massive riding hall designed by Johann Bernard Fischer von Erlach that still stands in almost unaltered form.

In the mid-18th century the chateau was again renovated, and in 1815 its front tracts that had been part of the Baroque chateau were removed.

The chateau as it looks today dates from 1846-1858, when Prince Alois II decided that Vienna was not suitable for entertaining in the summer, and had Lednice rebuilt into a summer palace in the spirit of English Gothic. The hall on the ground floor would serve to entertain the European aristocracy at sumptuous banquets, and was furnished with carved wood ceilings, wooden panelling, and select furniture, surpassing anything of its kind in Europe.

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