Martinskirche, Church building at the Marktplatz in Pfullingen, Germany
Martinskirche is the oldest church building in Pfullingen, standing in the town centre by the Marktplatz. Its square tower is plastered white with light stone quoins, carries a round clock face with red hands on each visible side, and is topped by a steep dark green pointed roof. Below the clock sit an oval opening and a louvered round-arched window, then two narrow pointed-arch windows with dark tracery; a steep white roof runs down to the right of the tower.
Archaeological digs during the 1962 renovation, led by Siegwalt Schiek and continued to 1963, uncovered four predecessor buildings on the site: a wooden church of the 7th century, two aisleless churches with apses and a three-aisled basilica. The present church grew from that basilica from about the 13th century, with the tower added first, then the choir and nave replaced; completion is dated 1463. Evaluation was later led by Barbara Scholkmann at the University of Tübingen.
The church is named after Martin of Tours, a saint venerated across Christian denominations. Since the Reformation in the 16th century it has been Protestant, and today the Martinskirchengemeinde belongs to the Evangelical Church in Württemberg within the EKD. Its festival day is St Martin's, 11 November.
The church stands in the town centre at the Marktplatz, so it is reached on foot from the surrounding streets. Excavations in 1962–63 under Siegwalt Schiek uncovered four predecessor buildings on the same spot, and the finds were later studied by Barbara Scholkmann at the University of Tübingen.
The 1962 renovation uncovered older foundations, prompting excavations led by Siegwalt Schiek from 1962 to 1963 that revealed four predecessor buildings: a 7th-century wooden church, two aisleless churches with apses, and a three-aisled basilica. Evaluation of the finds was later directed by Barbara Scholkmann at the University of Tübingen.
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