The Market Church (, meaning 'church at the market place') is the main

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church in

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, Germany. Built in the 14th century, it was referred to in 1342 as the church of Saints James and George () in dedication to Saint James the Elder and

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

. Replacing an older, smaller, church at the same location that dated to 1125 and that is known to have been called (after Saint George) in 1238, Hanover grew around it and the market place situated immediately adjacent to its south that was established around the same time. Today the official name of the church is Market Church of Saints George and James ( ), and along with the nearby Old Town Hall is considered the southernmost example of the northern German

brick gothic Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...

architectural style (). A

hall church A hall church is a Church (building), church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height. In England, Flanders and the Netherlands, it is covered by parallel roofs, typically, one for each vessel, whereas in Germany there is often one s ...

with a monumental saddleback roof that rises above the nave and two aisles, the roof and the vaults of the naves were restored in 1952 after being destroyed in an air raid in 1943. Its tower, situated on its western side and a symbol of the power and wealth of the citizens of the town when built, is both a landmark of Hanover and, years after its roof was first constructed, one of the highest towers in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

Altar

The main altar was carved of linden wood around 1480. Its front depicts the Passion of Christ in 21 scenes following models of

Martin Schongauer Martin Schongauer (c. 1450–53, Colmar – 2 February 1491, Breisach), also known as Martin Schön ("Martin beautiful") or Hübsch Martin ("pretty Martin") by his contemporaries, was an Alsatian engraver and painter. He was the most important ...

, while its back shows scenes from the lives of the two

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

and Saint James. Moved to the Aegidienkirche in 1663 to make room for a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

altar, the altar was taken to the in 1856 and thus spared destruction during World War II when the Aegidienkirche was bombed. It was returned to the Market Church in 1952.

Organ

An organ was installed in the tower room () in 1893, which included parts of an instrument of the 17th century. This organ was destroyed in World War II. Today's main organ is at the back wall of the southern aisle. The first instrument in that location was built in 1953 and 1954 by the organ builders and Rudolf von Beckerath. It had 61 stops, four manuals and pedal. The casing () was designed by Dieter Oesterlen and is a protected monument. From 2007 to 2009, the instrument was rebuilt by Orgelbau Goll in

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

. The casing and about half of the pipes were kept. The new organ has 64 stops, 39 of them mostly using the older material.

Bells

The Market Church has 11 bells. The Bell of Christ and Peace () is the biggest in Lower Saxony and is used on special occasions only.

References

External links

*
Marktkirche
at MyTravelGuide
Kurze Kirchengeschichte der Altstadt
– short history of the churches in the Old Town, kirche-hannover.de {{Authority control

Markt

Hanover, Market Tourist attractions in Hanover