Saint Martin Church, Modern church in Märkisches Viertel, Reinickendorf, Germany
Saint Martin Church is a church building in the Märkisches Viertel district made of concrete with strong geometric forms throughout. The structure displays straightforward architecture without ornamentation, featuring large flat surfaces and clean lines that define the entire composition.
The parish began in autumn 1968 with Mass in a shop, before the Märkisches Viertel housing estate was finished. The foundation stone of the community centre was laid on 10 October 1970, and Werner Düttmann's church was consecrated on 7 October 1973. The Diocese of Berlin paid 5.5 million marks for the complex; the parish contributed 180,000 marks for the furnishings.
The parish chose Saint Martin of Tours as its patron, and a large painting of him by Johannes Grützke hangs behind the altar. The Marienkapelle holds a Madonna made in Umbria around 1400, used on weekdays.
The entrance is reached through the portal in the bell tower, which leads first into a vestibule and then into the first bay of the nave, where the way splits between the main worship space and the Marienkapelle used on weekdays. The three arms of the cross-shaped plan slope down toward the raised altar island, so the floor is not level throughout. The Marienkapelle can be closed off from the church by full-height folding doors.
The tower has no cross on top: a cross-shaped recess is cut into each of its walls instead. The four bronze bells from Rudolf Perner were consecrated on 6 September 1981, and each carries an image and its own inscription below the crown.
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