St Nicholas of

Wismar Wismar (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar () is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city of Mecklenburg after Rostock, Schwerin and ...

was built from 1381 until 1487 as a church for sailors and fishermen. St Nicholas is one of the finest testaments to

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

architecture in northern

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 ...

Based on the design of Marienkirche (St Mary's) in

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

it is the second highest brick

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

church in the world after St Mary's of Lübeck. St Nicholas along with St Mary's and St George's is one of the three great churches that dominate the skyline of the city of Wismar. As part of Wismar's historic centre, it was inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

in 2002.

History

*1226 – Foundation of the city of Wismar. *1255 – First documentary reference to St Nicholas. *1270 – A dispatch mentions new construction at St Nicholas. *1370 – Start of alterations to the basilica with a choir ambulatory, based on the design of the St Mary's Church, Lübeck. *1403 – Chancel consecrated. *1434 – Construction of the flanking aisles, annexes and naves. *1459 – The church is consecrated. *1508 – Construction of the spire. *1517 – Start of the Reformation. *1523 – Heinrich Never brings the Reformation to Wismar. *1632 – Wismar captured and held by Sweden until 1803. *1703 – Spire collapses in a severe Storm, severely damaging the roof, vaulting, decor and furnishing of the nave. *1867 – Revaulting of the nave and until - *1890 – Complete renovation in the contemporary neo-gothic style. *1945 – St Nicholas remains the only large church in Wismar undamaged by war. *1975 – The Mende organ from Freiberg in Saxony arrives at St Nicholas Church. *1989 – St Nicholas becomes a platform for political protest in Wismar. *2010 – A new organ in the choir is consecrated.

Exterior decorations

The gable of the southern transept is covered with decorations of glazed terracotta. There is a large and sophisticated blind rose window with a golden sun in the center. There are galleries with an abundant number of relief sculptures of saints and kings. Both eastern edges of the tower are decorated with squared

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

Interior decoration

* The high altar is a product of the late Baroque period. (1774) * The choir organ * Triumphal cross ( 15th Century ) * Pulpit (1708). A Baroque work by Johannes von Rehn. * Mende Organ. The organ has a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

era casing with

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 ...

enhancements, and was constructed by Johann Gottlob Mende ( 1787- 1850 ). * A bronze

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

(1335) originally from the St. Mary's. It portrays scenes from jesus life as well the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. * The high altar and the triumphal cross from St. George ( both c. 1430 ) in the southside

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

. * Bronze burial slab (1504) of

Duchess Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they a ...

Sophie von Mecklenburg. * The

Mariner A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor' ...

's Altar is the only one of 38 former 'native' altars that remains in St. Nicholas.

References

External links

Churches in Wismar
{{Authority control Nikolai Wismar Nikolai Wismar Nicholas