Where Roman warehouses once stood, a Benedictine monastery was built in the Middle Ages in honor of
Martin of Tours.
The monastery was the predecessor of the Romanesque church of Great Sankt Martin in Cologne.
You can still marvel at the old Roman foundations today. They have been generously exposed and very well lit.
A large city fire in 1150 almost completely destroyed the monastery and it took almost 100 years
to complete the Basilica of Great Sankt Martin, as it largely appears today.
The striking crossing tower can be seen from afar and has almost become a symbol of the silhouette of Cologne’s old town.
On the other hand, you can only guess at the “cloverleaf choir”, which is typical of medieval architecture.
Baroque, classicism and historicism: the church has experienced all of these artistic eras within its interior.
Great Sankt Martin was destroyed in several bombing raids in the Second World War. Restoration work lasted until 1985 and the interior painting was restored, mainly in historicist style.
Due to the almost 40 years of construction, no parish was able to establish itself here even after the war, and so services are now held here in foreign languages from time to time.
Great Sankt Martin was built in the Romanesque style, but also has many Gothic influences, especially in the nave.
In addition to the exposed foundations, the Staufian baptismal font and the altar mosaic are worth seeing.
If you are only now hearing about historicism, here is a little excursion into this era.
The “Alter Markt” is just around the corner, so our next destination is not far either
Image source: 2nd image: View through the central nave towards the altar/east apse, by © Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1214683
