St. Marien zu Schildau

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 meters and an entrance that could only be reached by ladder, probably served defensive and refuge purposes.
The wide Romanesque arch in the east wall of the tower, visible inside the church, dates from the time when the church was built in the form of a three-aisled basilica.
Renovations in the 15th century gave the interior its current appearance. The columns were removed, the clerestory windows bricked up and a cross-ribbed vault was installed. One of the clerestory windows - located above the cross-ribbed vault - has now been exposed again for viewing. It still shows the wooden frame for attaching the parchment skin, which had to serve as "window glass" at the time. Incidentally, an old column remains have been preserved - on it stands the Renaissance baptismal font in the choir square. The sacristy in the north wall of the choir square also dates from the 15th century. Here, fitted into the north apse wall, stands a wooden gem - a cupboard made of long-fibered coniferous lumber, possibly the only original one from that time in the Free State of Saxony. The church chest with its five locks set into the floor of the sacristy and the medieval piscina also deserve our attention. The winged altar from the 15th century is particularly worth mentioning. While its front side shows carved depictions of the story of Jesus and the life of Mary, the back side features paintings of the saints St. Martin, St. Catherine, St. Ursula and St. Mary Magdalene.
Worth seeing are the Vogler organ in the church and the oldest mulberry tree in Germany on the church grounds.