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St. Georg's Church is one of twelve Romanesque churches in the city of
The date of the foundation of St Georg's is unknown, but it was consecrated towards the end of the 11th century.
Schmap Cologne Guide
'', (accessed 16-08-20120 The nave was vaulted in the mid-12th century, the
St George's
', (accessed 16-08-2012) The original Romanesque roof of the westwerk was replaced with a
St. George's, Cologne
', (accessed 16-08-2012) During the late 1920s the church had been entirely glazed by the
Förderverein Romanische Kirchen Köln e.V.
{{Twelve Romanesque Churches of Cologne Tourist attractions in Cologne Innenstadt, Cologne *
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, Germany.
History
The date of the foundation of St Georg's is unknown, but it was consecrated towards the end of the 11th century.Schmap Cologne Guide
'', (accessed 16-08-20120 The nave was vaulted in the mid-12th century, the
westwerk
A westwork (), forepart, avant-corps or avancorpo is the monumental, west-facing entrance section ("west front") of a Carolingian, Ottonian, or Romanesque church. The exterior consists of multiple stories between two towers. The interior includ ...
was added in 1188 and the entrance portal on the north side in 1551. The church was damaged during World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, resulting in extensive restoration which included the removal of the Baroque extension to the westwerk and replacement with a simple hip roof in the Romanesque style.
Architecture
St Georg's has the trefoil-shaped eastern end typical of other Romanesque churches of Cologne, itschancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
and transepts
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") churches, in particular within the Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architectu ...
each terminating in an apse. The nave is unique in Cologne in having its arcade supported on columns rather than piers.
There is a robust westwerk with walls of 5 metres thick, suggesting that it was intended to be much taller than actually built.St George's
', (accessed 16-08-2012) The original Romanesque roof of the westwerk was replaced with 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 ...
belfry, but this was damaged during World War II and later replaced with a steeply pitched hip roof of copper.St. George's, Cologne
', (accessed 16-08-2012) During the late 1920s the church had been entirely glazed by the
Expressionist
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
artist, Johan Thorn Prikker
Johan Thorn Prikker (6 June 1868, The Hague - 5 March 1932, Cologne) was a Dutch artist who worked in Germany after 1904. His activities were very eclectic, including architecture, lithography, furniture, stained-glass windows, mosaics, tapestrie ...
. These windows were lost during the war, but have been reproduced from the original cartoons.
See also
*Twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne
The twelve Romanesque architecture, Romanesque churches of Cologne are twelve landmark churches in the Innenstadt, Cologne, Old town ''(Altstadt)'' of Cologne, Germany. All twelve churches are Catholic Church, Catholic.
The reason for the large n ...
* Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...
* German architecture
The architecture of Germany has a long, rich and diverse history. Every major European style from Roman to Postmodern is represented, including renowned examples of Carolingian, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Modern ...
* Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
* List of regional characteristics of Romanesque churches
Romanesque is the architecture of Europe which emerged in the late 10th century and evolved into Gothic architecture during the 12th century. The Romanesque architecture, Romanesque style in England is more traditionally referred to as Norman ar ...
* Romanesque secular and domestic architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Middle Ages, medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. The term "Romanesque" is usually used for the period from the 10th to the 12th century with "Pre-Romanesque art and archite ...
References
Literature
*Hiltrud Kier
Hiltrud Kier (née Arnetzl; born 30 June 1937) is an Austrian art historian and academic. She was city conservator to Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Li ...
: ''Via Sacra zu Fuß, Kölns Städtebau und die Romanischen Kirchen''. Bachem Verlag, Köln 2003 (²/2005) .
* Ulrich Krings, Otmar Schwab: ''Köln: Die Romanischen Kirchen – Zerstörung und Wiederherstellung''. Reihe Stadtspuren Bd. 2, Köln, Bachem Verlag, 2007 (712 S. mit CD Chronologie des Wiederaufbaus).
* Sybille Fraquelli: ''Zwölf Tore zum Himmel. Kinder entdecken: Die Romanischen Kirchen in Köln''. J.P. Bachem Verlag, Köln 2007.
* Hiltrud Kier und Ulrich Krings: ''Die Romanischen Kirchen in Köln'', Köln, 3.Auflage 1986.
* Sabine Czymmek: ''Die Kölner Romanischen Kirchen'', Schatzkunst, Bd. 1, Köln 2008, Bd. 2, Köln 2009 (= Colonia Romanica, Jahrbuch des Fördervereins Romanische Kirchen Köln e. V. Bd. 22, 2007 und 23, 2008)
External links
Förderverein Romanische Kirchen Köln e.V.
{{Twelve Romanesque Churches of Cologne Tourist attractions in Cologne Innenstadt, Cologne *
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...