St. Mary's, Greifswald

The St.-Marien-Kirche stands in Greifswald, a former Hanseatic town in the northeast of Germany. Built of red brick in the North German Gothic style, it is the oldest of the city’s three large parish churches. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who was also the patron saint of the nearby Eldena monastery. Locals often call it ‘dicke Marie’, a name that has stuck since the Middle Ages. The church’s origins go back to 1249, when a small predecessor stood on the site. Construction of the present hall church began around 1260 and was finished by 1380. Merchants from the Bergen and Schonen trading companies once maintained altars in the Annenkapelle. After the Reformation the church’s library grew with books from dissolved monasteries before being moved to another site. Heavy damage in the Thirty Years’ War led to a new tower with a tented roof during the rebuilding. Recent conservation work stabilised the east gable and restored the spire and roof. Inside, the three-aisled nave is covered by whitewashed ribbed vaults resting on red-brick piers. A wide west porch, added in the 15th century, now serves as the main entrance. On the north side the small Marienkapelle, probably the city’s oldest surviving chapel, invites quiet reflection after its recent restoration revealed medieval wall paintings. On the south side the Annenkapelle, built between 1330 and 1340, features two apses and a new portal designed by Andreas Wolff. The Gedächtniskapelle at the east end was added in 1958.