St. Marien, Gothic church in Herford, Germany

St. Marien is a Gothic church in Herford featuring pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses. The building displays characteristic features of medieval church architecture with soaring interior spaces and intricate stonework.

Founded in 1011 by Abbess Gotesda as a monastery for daughters of the lower nobility, the church was consecrated in 1018 by Bishop Meinwerk of Paderborn. The present High Gothic hall church was built between 1290 and 1350, consecrated in 1325, and keeps Romanesque wall sections on its north and south sides. It has been the Protestant parish church since 1548 and a listed monument since 1981.

The church serves as a place for worship and musical performances where locals and visitors gather. People use the space for both spiritual moments and to experience concerts within its historic walls.

Outside service times the church is open all year, except on public holidays, Tuesday to Saturday from 3 to 5 pm. The main entrance faces the Ernst-Lohmeyer-Haus community centre at the corner of Stiftbergstraße and Luttenbergstraße. The historic churchyard, the only one preserved in Herford, lies directly beside the building.

The altar holds a tree stump linked to the Herford Vision, and doves decorate it in memory of that event. A copy of the oldest account, "de visitatione beatae Mariae virginis", probably from the 10th century, was rediscovered in 1982. The church keeps three organs, including the Collon organ of 2004, on which international organ competitions were held in 2006 and 2008.