Description of the attraction
The Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary is located in the Am Ring district of Basel. The church was erected from brick and concrete in 1884-1886. It was the first Catholic church built in Basel since the Reformation. For a long time, since 1798, Basel Catholics attended services in the church of St. Clara. And although it was slightly expanded for the convenience of believers, it still could not accommodate everyone. Then it was decided to build a new church.
The competition for the construction of a new sacred building was won by the local architect Paul Reber, who has already had several Protestant and Catholic churches on his account. The three-aisled neo-Romanesque church of the Marienkirche in its plan resembled a basilica with a dim transept. The spacious temple with a flat roof was spacious: it could simultaneously accommodate 1,300 people. The interior was dominated by four monolithic round marble columns. The temple was decorated in a neo-Byzantine style.
In 1954, the reconstruction and modernization of the Marienkirche church proved to be inevitable. The architect Fritz Metzger was responsible for the renovation of the church. The result amazed everyone: all the neo-Byzantine furniture was taken out of the church, and the walls and marble columns were painted white. In addition, new stained glass windows were created.
In 1983, the Marienkirche church was damaged by fire. Its restoration was carried out by architects H. P. Baur and Fritz Kettner. Some of the sculptures that symbolized the Calwaria stations were found in the basement of the temple and restored.
The first organ was installed in the temple in 1886. The current musical instrument is dated 1989.
