St. Mary's Church, Gothic church in Rostock, Germany
St. Mary's Church is a Brick Gothic basilica on Ziegenmarkt, built as a triple-nave cross-shaped church with a transept that crosses the nave at its midpoint, giving the interior the character of a centralised space. The massive west tower, crowned by a baroque lantern, reaches 86.32 metres; a planned pair of towers was never built. The nave is white-plastered with ribbed vaulting and pointed arches, and the south transept holds a 26-metre stained-glass window of the Last Day.
A church was first documented on this site in 1232. After Rostock's settlements merged in 1265, St. Mary's became the main parish church, and around 1290 work began on the present triple-nave basilica, completed by the mid-15th century. The tower reached its present 86.32-metre height only at the end of the 18th century, when the baroque lantern was added.
The building takes its name from Mary, mother of Jesus, and serves as the spiritual center for the Lutheran community in the city. Worshippers gather here for regular services, while visitors come to see the bronze baptismal font and carved wooden altar that fill the interior.
The church stands on Ziegenmarkt, set back from the Neuer Markt between Kröpeliner and Lange Strasse. The main south portal window of the transept rises 26 metres, so the interior is brightest near the crossing. The pulpit was placed mid-nave because of the building's poor acoustics, making the centre the best spot to view it.
An astronomical clock from 1472 stands inside, its gears showing time, zodiac signs and lunar phases through medieval mechanics. Students of the University of Rostock celebrated their first academic ceremony here in 1419, making this the birthplace of the first northern German university.
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