St. Aegidii, Gothic church in Quedlinburg, Germany.
St. Aegidii is a Gothic church in Quedlinburg featuring pointed arches, intricate stone carvings, and ornate stained glass windows throughout its structure. The interior space is organized around high walls and vertical proportions that emphasize the soaring height typical of this architectural style.
St. Aegidii was first mentioned in 1179 and is held by tradition to be Quedlinburg's oldest town church. Its oldest parts date from the Romanesque and early Gothic periods. In 1643 lightning destroyed the northern of its two towers, which was never rebuilt; the surviving south tower is 57 m high. All roofs were newly covered in 1991/1992.
The church is dedicated to Saint Aegidius, but the sources do not record a local devotion tied to him. Its medieval winged altar, made in the first half of the 15th century, shows the Coronation of Mary and was moved here from St. Benedikti around 1700. Behind the altar, the city's oldest stained glass depicts the crucified Christ with Mary and Magdalene below.
Visits are possible from March to October on Saturdays between 3 and 6 pm, and on the Day of Open Monuments, the second Sunday in September. The church is used for occasional events, so opening times may vary. The adjacent cemetery, closed in the mid-19th century, now serves as a park.
In the ringing chamber, a large stone tong (Steinwolf) from the church's construction period is on display. The tower also holds a 15th-century bell 52 cm across and the city's second-largest bell, 1.70 m wide, cast in 1766 by Johann Georg Ulrich; it has the lowest pitch in Quedlinburg.
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