St. Marien und Laurentin, Gothic church in Lauenstein, Germany.
St. Marien und Laurentin is a post-Gothic hall church in Lauenstein, rebuilt 1596–1602 reusing its choir, outer walls and lower tower. The exterior is plain: a three-aisled nave and single-aisled choir with three-eighths closure, divided by buttresses, a square west tower with a Welsch hood, and long pointed-arch windows. Inside, four chamfered octagonal piers carry the nave's net vault and the aisles' star vaults.
The original church dates to the 14th century and was substantially rebuilt between 1596 and 1602 following a devastating city fire. This reconstruction shaped the structure visitors see today.
The church is also called St. Marien und Laurentin. Its furnishings recall the Bünau family: the 9 m high epitaph altar by Michael Schwenke commemorates Rudolph von Bünau and Anna von Schleinitz, both died 1591, and a sandstone epitaph honours an unmarried von Bünau woman. Look for the kneeling donor figures and the alliance coat of arms dated 1511.
The church stands in the Lauenstein district of Altenberg, in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district. The square west tower with its Welsch hood and the buttressed nave are best viewed from the outside; the bricked-up late Gothic portal is on the north side. The interior, with the 9 m high altar, is reached through the tower entrance hall, which is closed by ribbed vaults.
The church is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Montanregion Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří. Its 9 m high and 7 m wide epitaph altar by Michael Schwenke, made 1594–1602, commemorates Rudolph von Bünau and Anna von Schleinitz, both died 1591; the kneeling donor figures and the Moses and Aaron figures were probably moved onto it only in 1615 by Lorenz Hornung.
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