Franziskanerkirche, Baroque church in Überlingen, Germany.
The Franziskanerkirche is a former Franciscan monastery church originally built in Gothic style and rebuilt in late Baroque style from 1752 to 1766 to designs by Johann Michael Beer. It is a three-aisled basilica with a long, pale-rendered nave and transept under a red hipped tile roof, tall arched windows separated by pilasters, and a dark onion dome with a lantern and small spire over the crossing. It has no church tower, only a small Baroque roof turret.
The Franciscans settled in Überlingen by 1259; in 1300 Elisabeth Countess of Königsegg donated a plot by the northern town wall for a monastery, and Konrad von Schertweg funded the church in 1308. The three-aisled basilica was consecrated in 1348 by Ulrich Pfefferhard, Bishop of Konstanz, extended in the 15th century and given a rebuilt choir in 1519/1520. From 1752 to about 1766 the church was remodelled in late Baroque style to designs by Johann Michael Beer; the monastery was dissolved in 1808.
The church belongs to the Münster St. Nikolaus parish and is lent to it by the city for Sunday morning services; it also serves regularly as a concert venue. Its furnishings include pieces from the town's Capuchin monastery, and the 36-stop organ by Mönch Orgelbau stands in a 1757 case by Johann Georg Aichgasser.
The church is open to visitors during certain times and can be visited from the inside. It is helpful to check ahead when the church is accessible, as religious services take priority.
The church has no tower, only a small Baroque roof turret, as is typical of mendicant-order churches. Its 36-stop organ by Mönch Orgelbau sits in a 1757 case by Johann Georg Aichgasser. A late-Gothic Madonna of about 1500 and a crucifix by Jörg Zürn of about 1620 came from the monastery buildings.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,068 contributors worldwide.