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St. Marien in Schildau

Short facts

Was Built in late Romanesque style, houses features such as its winged altar from the 15th century, a Vogler organ and the oldest mulberry tree in Germany.

When the late-Romanesque basilica was built around 1170, it was simply added to an existing tower, which, with a wall thickness of 1.60 metres and an entrance that could only be reached by a ladder, was probably used for defensive and shelter purposes.
The Romanesque arch in the east wall of the tower, visible from inside the church, dates back to the time when the church was built in the shape of a three-nave basilica.
Renovations in the 15th century gave the interior its current appearance. The columns were removed, the sash windows were bricked up and a ribbed vault was added. One of the Obergaden windows – situated above the ribbed vault – is now open for viewing. Even today it still has the wooden frame for fixing the parchment skin that was once stretched across the window and had to serve as "window glass". By the way, an old column remnant has been preserved – in the choir square, the Renaissance baptismal font stands on it. The sacristy in the northern wall of the choir square also dates back to the 15th century. Here, fitted into the north apse wall, is a wooden treasure – a cabinet made of long-fiber sawn softwood, possibly the only original version from that time in the entire Free State of Saxony. Also worthy of attention is the church box with its five locks, embedded in the floor of the sacristy, or the medieval Piscina. Particularly worth mentioning is the winged altar from the 15th century. While its front features carved representations of the history of Jesus and the life of Mary, the paintings on the back depict St. Martin, St. Catherine, St. Ursula and St. Mary Magdalene.
The Vogler organ in the church and Germany's oldest mulberry tree on the church grounds are worth seeing.

On the map

St. Marien in Schildau
Kirchberg 1
04889 Schildau
Deutschland

On the map:
Website: www.belgernschildau.de

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