Marienkirche, Würzburg

Marienkirche
Marienkirche
Marienkirche
Location	Marienberg Fortress
Country	Germany
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Architecture
Style	Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance

The Marienkirche, Würzburg (Saint Mary's Church) is a chapel located in the inner court of Marienberg Fortress in Würzburg, Bavaria. The first Christian church at this location was built in 706 by Duke Hedan II. The structure of today's building can be traced back to the early 11th century. It is the oldest church in Würzburg and the oldest building in the fortress.

Duke Hedan II erected a small church in the year 706, which was dedicated to the virgin Mary. It was the cathedral and burial site of the Würzburg bishops until the remains of the martyrs Saint Kilian, Saint Colman und Saint Totnan were relocated to the new Würzburg Cathedral on the other side of the Main river in 788. The Marienkirche was officially transferred to the St. Burkard monastery () in 983.

When Heinrich I () was bishop, he built a new church at this location in the early 11th century, which potentially used some of the original structure and became a pilgrimage church. During the time of Konrad von Querfurt () it became the church of the court (Hofkirche) of the princes (Fürsten) of Würzburg in 1200. He made substantial changes to the building, when he increased the height of the cylindrical part and installed larger windows. After a fire in 1600, the building was re-erected by Prince-Bishop Julius Echter. He extendend the presbytery, built a parapet and put a lantern on top of the cuppola, which contains the church bells. The interior was modernised with plasterwork in Renaissance style.

...
Wikipedia