Description of the attraction
St. Martin's Church is one of the most famous Romanesque basilicas in Cologne. It is located right in the center of the city, where it is quite densely surrounded by various buildings of the late XX century.
The history of this beautiful temple began in the XII century, then it was built on the foundation that remained from one of the more ancient buildings of the Roman era. For several centuries, the church at the monastery of the Benedictines, but during the period of secularization, it became an ordinary parish church. Unfortunately, during the hostilities of the XX century, the basilica was significantly damaged, its restoration continued until 1985. Currently, the Church of St. Martin is open to all comers.
From all the past interior decoration and interiors, almost nothing has survived to the present day. From the surviving one, there is an altar, which was made at the very beginning of the 16th century, it is located in the side nave. The sculptural group depicting scenes of the Passion of Christ is worthy of special attention. Each of them is framed by a special Gothic arch made of sandstone. The author of these sculptures is considered to be Tillmann van der Burch, who worked in Cologne in the 15th century.
Not far from the crucifix there is a baptismal font carved out of stone in the 13th century. It is made in the shape of an octahedron, decorated with friezes made of water lilies. Historians believe that this font was previously located in the church of St. Brigit, but was later donated by Leopold III to the church of St. Martin. The triptych depicting the adoration of the Magi is of particular value to the church.
