St. Mariä Empfängnis (Kleve)

St. Mariä Empfängnis stands in Kleve’s old town centre, a plain, towerless church built by the Franciscan friars. The present building dates from 1425–45 and forms the southern side of a once rectangular monastery complex. Arnt von Kalkar carved the choir stalls in 1474, and Nikolaus Albers added a Baroque pulpit in 1698. After the monastery was dissolved in 1802, the church served as a parish church and later as a hospital annexe. During the Second World War the building was destroyed and afterwards rebuilt close to its original form. The church holds a relic of Saint Adalbert of Prague, brought from Gnesen in 1992. Inside, the late Gothic choir stalls show a striking contrast of holy figures and grotesque carvings. The 1698 pulpit and the carved crucifixion group above the chancel arch remain notable furnishings. The 1961 Klais organ has 28 speaking stops and a mechanical action, its case crowned by a revolving star of six bells. Visitors enter a single-aisled hall with five bays, the nave continuing into a three-and-a-half-bay polygonal choir. The side aisle ends in a smaller polygonal apse, both covered by separate pitched roofs. The crossing ribs of the ribbed vaults are plain, matching the church’s restrained Gothic style. The former cloister walk once bordered the north side, but only fragments survive. Today the church sits beside the modern town hall, its rebuilt walls enclosing a quiet space for prayer and remembrance.