Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) is a church in

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

state,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, located in the inner city. Since the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, it has been a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

parish church of St. Marien. The church was destroyed in World War II, but rebuilt. It also serves as a concert venue for sacred music. The church was built on the

Hellweg In the Middle Ages, Hellweg was the official and common name given to main travelling routes in Germany. Their breadth was decreed as an unimpeded passageway a lance's width, about three metres, which the landholders through which the Hellweg pas ...

, opposite of the

Reinoldikirche The Lutheran Protestant Church of St. Reinold (german: Reinoldikirche) is, according to its foundation date, the oldest extant church in Dortmund, Germany; it is dedicated to Reinold, also known as Renaud de Montauban, the patron of the city ...

, for the town's council and jurisdiction. It shows elements of Romanesque and

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

, and houses notable Medieval art, such as the by Conrad von Soest and the .

History

The church was built on the

, a main Medieval road connecting the free imperial town Dortmund with others. It was erected between 1170 and 1200 in

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

to serve the town's council and jurisdiction. It is the oldest extant church in Dortmund's inner city. Around 1350, a choir in

was built. It served as a model for the

, which was built opposite of the road. Berswordt-Altar-Mitte

The Marienkirche houses notable Medieval art, such as the from 1385, named after its patron, and the by Conrad von Soest from 1420, with scenes of the life of Mary. The central panel of the Berswordt-Altar dating from 1397 depicts the

Swoon of the Virgin The Swoon of the Virgin, in Italian Lo Spasimo della Vergine, or Fainting Virgin Mary was an idea developed in the late Middle Ages, that the Virgin Mary had fainted during the Passion of Christ, most often placed while she watched the Crucifix ...

, an imagery which gradually disappeared from paintings of the

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...

after

Molanus Joannes Molanus (1533–1585), often cited simply as Molanus, is the Latinized name of Jan Vermeulen or Van der Meulen, an influential Counter Reformation Catholic theologian of Louvain University, where he was Professor of Theology, and Rector ...

and other theologians of the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

condemned its use. The Marienaltar now contains only fragments of von Soest's original masterpiece. In 1720 a new

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for e ...

was installed, and workmen took hammers and saws to the paintings to make them fit into the new frames, losing over half of the large central panel and a quarter of each of the two side panels. Since the

, it has been a

parish church of St. Marien. The church was almost completely destroyed by bombs in World War II. However, both the Marienaltar and the Berswordtaltar had been evacuated to the

Cappenberg Castle Cappenberg Castle (german: Schloss Cappenberg) is a former Premonstratensian monastery, Cappenberg Abbey (german: Kloster Cappenberg) in Cappenberg, a part of Selm, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It stands on an elevation, the Cappenberg, n ...

at the outset of the war and thus survived.Corley, Brigitte (1996). ''Conrad von Soest: Painter Among Merchant Princes''. p. 220. Harvey Miller Publishers. The church was rebuilt, beginning right after the war and completed in 1959. The swallow's nest organ high above the nave, was reconstructed in the same position by Steinmann Orgelbau. The glass windows were restored in subdued colours after designs of Johannes Schreiter, completed in 1972. The church serves as a concert venue for sacred music.

Literature

* Klaus Lange: ''Capella Regis. Zum Bauprogramm der Dortmunder Marienkirche.'' in: ''Beiträge zur Geschichte Dortmunds und der Grafschaft Mark.'' 83/84, 1992/1993 * Konrad Lorenz: ''Die Ev. St. Marienkirche zu Dortmund.'' Mariengemeinde, Dortmund 1981 * Albert Ludorff: ''Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler des Kreises Dortmund-Stadt.'' Münster 1894. * Gustav Luntowski: Günther Högl, Thomas Schilp, Norbert Reimann, ''Geschichte der Stadt Dortmund.'', Stadtarchiv Dortmund, Dortmund (Harenberg) 1994, * Götz J. Pfeiffer: ''Die Malerei am Niederrhein und in Westfalen um 1400. Der Meister des Berswordt-Retabels und der Stilwandel der Zeit'', Petersberg, 2009, Dissertation. Berlin, 2005 * Götz J. Pfeiffer: ''"... noch vorzüglicher wie die zwei weiblichen Heiligen ...". Werke vom Meister des Berswordt-Retabels mit dem Wildunger Retabel im Vergleich''. In: Geschichtsblätter für Waldeck, 96, 2008, p. 10–31 * Wolfgang Rinke: ''Dortmunder Kirchen des Mittelalters, St. Reinoldi, St. Marien, St. Johannes Bapt. Propstei, St. Petri.'' Dortmund 1991, * Thomas Schilp und Barbara Welzel (Hg.): ''Die Marienkirche in Dortmund.'' Bielefeld (Verlag für Regionalgeschichte) 2012,

References

External links

*
Foundation St. Marien
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marienkirche, Dortmund Protestant churches in Dortmund Dortmund Marienkirche Dortmund Marienkirche Dortmund Marienkirche Dortmund Marienkirche