The Church of St. Martin is a medieval church in

Landshut Landshut (; ) is a town in Bavaria, Germany, on the banks of the Isar, River Isar. Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free state (government), Free State of Bavaria, and the seat of the surrou ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. St. Martin's Church, along with

Trausnitz Castle Trausnitz Castle is a medieval castle situated in Landshut, Bavaria in Germany. It was the home of the Wittelsbach dynasty, and it served as their ducal residence for Lower Bavaria from 1255–1503, and later as the seat of the hereditary rule ...

and the celebration of the Landshuter Hochzeit (wedding), are the most important landmarks and historical events of Landshut. The

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, ...

building features Bavaria's tallest church tower, and this steeple is also the 2nd tallest brick structure in the world (after

Anaconda Smelter Stack The Anaconda Smelter Stack is the tallest surviving masonry structure in the world, with an overall height of about , including a brick chimney tall and the downhill side of a concrete foundation tall. Provides precise dimensions via two drawin ...

) made without steel supports. St. Martin's church's bell tower has a height of .

History

In the year 1204, the town of Landshut was founded by Duke

Louis I, Duke of Bavaria Louis I (; 23 December 1173 – 15 September 1231), called the Kelheimer or of Kelheim, since he was born and died at Kelheim, was the Duke of Bavaria from 1183 and Electoral Palatinate, Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1214. He was the only ...

the Kelheimer. He established Castle Trausnitz and built a small church on the site of the present-day St. Martin's Church. That structure was superseded by building the existing church, which began in 1389. It took about 110 years to finish the church. During this period, five architects managed the building site. It took 55 years just to build the tower. The church was finally dedicated in 1500.

Features

The choir elbow cross of 1495 has an overall length of 8 m (22 feet). The

crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

is one of the largest of the late Gothic period. The body was carved from a

lime tree ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Great Britain and Irelan ...

trunk and has a length of 5.80 m (16 feet) and an arm width of 5.40 m (15 feet). Sculpted by

Michel Erhart Michel Erhart ( 1440 to 1445 – after 1522, Ulm) was a German late Gothic sculptor who lived and worked in Ulm. Life Erhart spent his journeyman years in various regions including Konstanz and the Netherlands before finally settling in Ulm ...

, it was installed in 1495. Other important works of art in the church include the high

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

, the hexagonal

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

carved from a single stone, and the "rose wreath/ring Madonna" (about 1520), created by

Hans Leinberger Hans Leinberger, sometimes given as Lemberger (c.1475/1480 – after 1531) was a Late Gothic sculptor from Altbayern, who worked in wood, metal and stone. Life and work His exact birthplace is unknown, as is the place and manner of his arti ...

and considered one of his most important works of art.

Construction and renovations

Construction of the church began around 1389, under the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Hans von Burghausen. The exact date for the beginning of construction of the church is not well known, but its construction was first noted in the city chronicle in 1392. The building was completed in 1500. The church was built from

brick and mortar Brick and mortar (or B&M) is an organization or business with a physical presence in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases retail shops, factory produc ...

. Five thousand wooden stakes were used for the foundation. The stakes are located completely in the

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

, in order to delay rot caused by

bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...

. With a height of 130.6 m (428 feet), the church tower is considered to be the tallest brick building in the world, surpassing the

Church of Our Lady, Bruges The Church of Our Lady () is a Roman Catholic church in Bruges, Belgium, dating mainly from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. Its tower remains the tallest structure in the city and the third tallest brickwork tower in the world (after St. Mary ...

, in Belgium by 8.6 meters. In the year 2001, St. Martin's Church received the title of

basilica minor Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural ...

from the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

. The church is built in

Gothic style Gothic 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 evolved from Romanesque ar ...

, demonstrated by the pointed shape of its windows and arches.

Gallery

References and notes

* The

SkyscraperPage SkyscraperPage is a website for skyscraper hobbyists and enthusiasts that tracks existing and proposed skyscrapers around the world. The site is owned by Skyscraper Source Media, a supplier of skyscraper diagrams for the publication, marketing, an ...

'
source
showed that St. Martin's Church is tall, and construction began in 1385 and finished in 1507.

External links

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