St. Catherine's church Brandenburg, Gothic church in Neustadt, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany

St. Katharinen is a brick church in the Neustadt section of Brandenburg an der Havel, decorated with elaborate terracotta sculptures and ornamental brickwork patterns on its exterior. The nave and choir form a spacious, unified interior volume that allows for clear sight lines throughout the church.

A fieldstone church stood here until 1395. After 1381 Hinrich Brunsberg of Stettin began the present brick church, consecrated in 1401 to Saints Catherine, Amalberga and Nicholas. The north chapel was consecrated in 1434, the ambulatory roofed from 1426, and the south porch with an upper library added by the late 15th century. The west tower was rebuilt after its north half collapsed in 1582.

The church is dedicated to Saint Catherine, Saint Amalberga of Maubeuge and Saint Nicholas of Myra. Its 1474 winged altar by G. Weger shows Catherine's life and legend in painted panels, and the 1440 bronze font by D. Molner depicts her among the apostles.

The church stands in the Neustadt district on the eastern bank of the Havel. The main south portal opens under the late 15th-century south porch, whose upper floor once held a library. The interior is entered at street level; the stone floor and raised galleries require care for visitors with limited mobility.

The 1440 bronze font in the north chapel was cast in Erfurt by D. Molner. Its octagonal basin rests on a round foot ringed by four dragons, four lions surround it, and the lid is crowned by a pelican, a symbol of Christ's self-sacrifice.