St. Gotthardt church Brandenburg, Gothic church in Altstadt, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany.
St. Gotthardt is a parish church whose west tower, built of regular granite blocks in the second half of the 12th century, was originally planned as a twin-tower arrangement; its Romanesque round-arched stepped portal survives. From 1456 the nave was rebuilt as a three-aisled Gothic hall church under master builder Heinrich Reinstorp, and it was consecrated in 1475. The tower carries a baroque lantern and cupola, destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in simpler form in 1964–1966.
Founded before 1147 in Parduin, probably by the Slavic prince Pribislaw/Heinrich, the church was named after Bishop Godehard of Hildesheim. A Premonstratensian monastery was established there by 1147 and raised to the cathedral chapter of Brandenburg in 1161; in 1165 the canons moved to the cathedral island, and St. Gotthardt became the parish church of the old town. The nave was rebuilt from 1456 as a three-aisled Gothic hall church under Heinrich Reinstorp and consecrated in 1475.
The church is dedicated to Bishop Godehard of Hildesheim, and its parish priests were Premonstratensians from the cathedral chapter. Since 1947 the north chapel, restored in honour of Loriot, who was baptised in the church, holds the former high altar with Carl Gottfried Pfannschmidt's 1874 painting "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane". A woven unicorn-hunt tapestry is kept in the baptismal chapel.
The church stands in the old town at the site of the former bishop's court in the northeast corner of its grounds. The west tower's Romanesque stepped portal and large round-arched window were uncovered during the 1904–1906 restoration. The north chapel, restored by 2009, holds the former high altar with Carl Gottfried Pfannschmidt's 1874 painting "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane".
The baptismal chapel was restored in the 2000s after years of rainwater damage, funded partly by a donation campaign led by Vicco von Bülow, known as Loriot, who was baptised there. The north chapel was handed over restored on 19 September 2009, his 85th birthday.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,890 contributors worldwide.