St. Martin's () is a

Lutheran church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

Groß Ellershausen Groß Ellershausen is a village (borough: Ortsteil) in Göttingen, Germany. The village lies on highway B3, west of the southern part of the city proper, separated from it and the River Leine by the Autobahn A7. Further west, just beyond the ...

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

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 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is significant as possibly retaining the oldest existing structure, its tower, in southern Lower Saxony. While the details of the origin of the church building have been lost in the mist of history, architectural analysis indicates that the Romanesque church tower was most likely built in the tenth or eleventh century. The remains of a hearth on the second floor have led to the conclusion that the tower was originally a ''Wohnturm'' (a residential tower) of a titled family, probably the Herren von Ellershausen, which lived there at the time. The church's ship is much younger, probably having been built or re-built during the Barocque era. It was repaired in 1838. . Records from 1608 and 1610 indicate there were two bells in the church. The larger of the two was melted down during the First World War as part of the national effort to obtain metals for military purposes. In 1922, two steel bells were dedicated as replacements. Then in 2003 three new bronze bells of unequal sizes were installed. Each of the bells has a Latin word inscribed (''Soli'', ''Deo'' and ''Gloria'', meaning "only to God the honor"). The bells are rung by an electrically run system, with various combinations and sequences signifying various things.Läutordnung und Bilder der Glocken
/ref> It currently houses a Lutheran congregation.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gross Ellershausen Göttingen Lutheran churches in Lower Saxony Lutheran churches converted from Roman Catholicism Buildings and structures in Göttingen (district)