St.-Nicolai-et-St.-Martini-Kirche, Lutheran church in Steinkirchen, Germany.
St.-Nicolai-et-St.-Martini-Kirche is a brick church with a separate wooden bell tower rising 47 meters high above the village. Inside stands a notable Baroque organ built in the 17th century by the renowned craftsman Arp Schnitger.
The nave's north wall preserves remnants of a Romanesque fieldstone building. Around 1500 the polygonal choir and nave walls with wide pointed-arch windows were rebuilt in brick; the wooden west tower received its tall Baroque hood in 1696. In 1773 the church was remodelled into a late Baroque hall with a mansard roof and a cornice on consoles, and the south wall was completely renewed.
The church keeps two bells cast in 1604 and 1717 in its wooden west tower; a former large bell was melted down in one of the two world wars. Inside, two chalices survive, one from the second half of the 14th century and one dated 1594. Several 17th- and 18th-century grave slabs, some with figurative carvings, are also preserved.
The church is open to visitors during daytime hours and continues to serve as an active place of worship with regular services and events. Check locally before visiting to confirm access times, especially if you hope to hear the organ being played during a concert or service.
The organ, built by Arp Schnitger in 1687, has 28 stops on two manuals and pedal. It was last restored in 2012 by Rowan West. A painted illusionistic curtain from 1773 frames the instrument above the west gallery.
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