The Jewel of Lübeck: Church of St. Mary’s

Visiting the former Hanseatic League‘s capital, Lübeck in north Germany, is a feast for the eyes for the amazing architecture the city has.  The city’s important rose in prominence before the Hanseatic League came into being.  A town had been founded there in the early 12th century after suffering serious damage in an invasion.  One of the buildings constructed in that era was the jewel of Lübeck: the Church of St. Mary (Marienkirche).

By Thomas Möller Roggenhorst – originally uploaded to de.wikipedia by author on 24. Sep 2004, self made by author, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110347

Gothic brick architecture

The Church of St. Mary is one of the prime examples of Gothic brick architecture in northern Europe.  St. Mary’s was built between 1260 and 1350 on the site of a former wooden church built about a hundred years earlier.  It influenced many other churches in the region, some number 70 other churches that took their inspiration in Germany and Poland from St. Mary’s.

Side entrance to the church is adjacent to a really cool building in the background

The architecture of St. Mary’s is very unique because it is one of the first churches built on the French Gothic style but with red bricks as the main construction material.  It is really cool to see this twist on Gothic!  It also possesses one of the highest vaults from the Gothic period.

Altar

WWII damages the Church of St. Mary…

However, it is important to note that what we see today is a reconstruction as WW II saw the ancient church structure destroyed in 1942.  A broken bell from the belltower is displayed inside the church as a sad but lasting remembrance of the ravages war can bring about…

Broken bell, victim of WWIW

St. Mary’s is an active church of the Evangelical Lutheran branch.  I happened to walk in a couple of minutes before the brief noon service.  The attendants at the door (it is free entrance) asked my if I wanted to come later or if I was planning to sit through the service.  I had no idea how long it would be but I said yes to the latter.  It was a brief psalm reading and a short sermon.  A local woman was trying to chide me when I decided to move pews because, as she saw my camera hanging from me, she thought I was touristing during the service.  I was about to have a bad thought but remembered where I was, smiled, and moved on to the pew I wanted to sit at…

Make your way to Lübeck if you are visiting nearby Hamburg (an hour away or so).  It is a phenomenal town and then check out the Church of St. Mary.