St. Gereon's Basilica

Cologne, Germany

St. Gereon's Basilica (Basilika Sankt Gereon) was first mentioned in 612. However, the building of the choir gallery, apse, and transepts occurred later, beginning under Archbishop Arnold II von Wied in 1151 and ending in 1227. It is one of twelve great churches in Cologne that were built in the Romanesque style.

St. Gereon has a highly irregular plan, the nave being covered by a decagonal oval dome, 21.0 m long and 16.9 m wide, completed in 1227 on the remains of Roman walls, which are still visible. It is the largest dome built in the West between the erection of the Hagia Sophia in the 6th century and the Duomo of Florence in the 15th century.

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Details

Founded: 1151-1227
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Ravi Lal (11 months ago)
Walking through the streets in Cologne on a rainy day, we stumbled upon this Basilica. This is a beautiful Basilica and we enjoyed the architecture, art and quietness of what this Basilica offers. There is so much of history in Germany and this is one of them. We saw many art depicting Christendom and history of Cologne. It is very peaceful to be here. The atmosphere is very reflective and you can pray and mediate as this is what this church is for. We did not had to pay a fee but to respect this place for what it is. We spent about 45 minutes here and moved on. There is also a write up about this Basilica in the front foyer.
Rebecca Robinson (14 months ago)
Beautiful place, and a lot less busy than the Cathedral! The volunteer lady here was lovely and helpful. A lot of the place was destroyed in the WW2 bombing, but that does mean the stained glass is more modern, and personally, a lot more interesting. The crypt downstairs is also worth checking out.
Muriel Silva (15 months ago)
Lovely church! The person responsible was very nice and gave us a little "tour" of the church's history.
Pinaz Bharda (16 months ago)
So..I wanted to visit this place because of the beautiful orange cupola you see in Google pics - I'll be honest...it wasn't that beautiful bright orange I was imagining...but boy! This place did not disappoint!! From the moment you enter, you feel transported to another world..another age. The entrance niche gave me goosebumps - the mother and son statue is entrancing and you can take a bit of time to sit and reflect before it. The main hall itself is multi tiered (very different in its feel from other churches I have seen), with the gorgeous orange cupola looking down on you with all its glory. Don't miss the crypt entrance, or the underlying frangrance of lollies through the church. Tip- go during lunch time and grab a bit at the donor place across the road - Anya Donor. (We passed it during lunch and saw the super long line and figured it was a good bet to take). By the time we got done with St. GEREON and returned, it was nice and empty. Delicious food, amazing portions, perfect prices!
Bar Dado (19 months ago)
Interesting church, found by mistake! You can notice the different architecture styles. The body of Gereon, a Theban soldier that refused paganism, lies in a small crypt! It worths a visit!
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