Basilica of the Holy Apostles

Cologne, Germany

The Basilica of the Holy Apostles (Basilika St. Aposteln) is one of the twelve Romanesque churches built in Cologne in that period. Its glory is the domed clover leaf chancel, which was built around 1200. The story of how today’s building originated begins in the 11th century.

At that time the church was on the road in the direction of Aachen, directly ahead of the roman city walls at the western main gate.

In the 13th century the church was significantly enlarged. In addition to the clover leaf chancel there was also the octagonal dome above the crossing, which was added at this time, which gives St. Aposteln its monumental, almost Byzantine appearance. The old structures were retained and, in spite of the building modifications, were copied and integrated into the new construction project.

The sequential and complementary building phases can be well identified in the St. Aposteln church. An extraordinary and controversial combination of historical and modern art is shown with a glance into the choral arches: the modern paintings by Herrmann Gottfried from the years 1988 until 1994 always provoke a host of diverse opinions.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Neumarkt 30, Cologne, Germany
See all sites in Cologne

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

www.cologne-tourism.com

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Oliwia R (15 months ago)
Beautiful romanesque church. There are works being done which take away from the experience but overall a very beautiful and special. When we went there wasn't anyone else (we went at noon) which was nice also
Andrea Bowes (20 months ago)
We came upon St Aposteln unexpectedly on our way somewhere else and wow! It's beautiful. Unfortunately they were just closed (between 1 and 3) so we couldn't go inside but we'll be sure to come back.
M K (3 years ago)
Very aesthetic church. Didn’t get the chance to go inside, but we enjoyed looking at it from the outside.
Michael Stemmeler (4 years ago)
Beautiful romanesque-style basilica. Though the original church, dating as far back as the middle ages, was bombed to bits during WW II, it has been rebuilt in the original style and is one of the many architecturally and historically important romanesque churches in Cologne. Every Sunday morning St. Aposteln offers a Latin High Mass for those interested in more traditional Roman Catholic services.
David Smith (4 years ago)
One of Cologne's 12 Romanesque churches, dating back to the 11th century. Neumarkt U-bahn station.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.