Great St. Martin Church, Romanesque Catholic church in Old Town, Cologne, Germany
Great St. Martin Church is a Romanesque basilica in Cologne's old town, built from pale brown and grey masonry. Its crossing is crowned by a tall pointed spire, and four square towers with pyramidal slate roofs flank it, two set slightly forward on the left and two on the right. A rounded apse with a dark conical roof and arched windows sits on the left side, while rounded arches, small windows and a rose window punctuate the facade.
Archbishop Bruno the Great founded a collegiate church here around 960, and by 989 Archbishop Everger had turned it into a Benedictine monastery for Irish monks. A fire in 1150 destroyed much of the abbey; the tri-apsidal east end was consecrated in 1172, and the nave was completed before another fire in 1185. The church was rebuilt until 1250, badly damaged in 1942/43, and restoration finished in 1985.
The name honors Saint Martin of Tours, whose veneration has been deeply rooted in the Rhineland since medieval times. The monastic community from Jerusalem still conducts daily prayer services here, which visitors are welcome to attend.
The entrance is located directly on the fish market and reached by several steps, so wheelchair access may be limited. Guided tours explain the Roman foundations in the lower level and the construction of the tower.
Beneath the church floor lie well-preserved Roman walls and foundations uncovered during excavations in the 20th century. These archaeological remains show that the site was once part of a Roman harbor installation.
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