St. Mary's Church, Osnabrück
Over time, extensive restorations have enabled archaeological excavations which have contributed considerably to a reconstruction of the building's history.
The Marienkirche is located directly on the market place, next to the Stadtwaage (city weighing house) and the town hall.
Along with the cathedral, St. Katharinen (St. Catherine's) and St. Johann (St. John's), it is one of the four medieval churches which encompass the Innenstadt (city centre) of Osnabrück.
Before reconstruction of the Marienkirche started from 1950 onwards following severe damage caused by incendiary bombs during World War II,[1] a series of excavations took place to investigate the building's earlier architectural history.
With the modernisation of the building's heating systems in 1958 as well as internal and external renovation work from 1987 to 1992, there arose further opportunities to conduct research into the architectural history of St. Marien.
The excavations were carried out by the federal curator of Lower Saxony under the scientific supervision of the then-curators Dr. Roswitha Poppe and Dr. –Ing (Doctor of Engineering) Hans Roggenkamp.
The research work received support from the municipal office for the preservation of historical monuments, the Amt für Bau- und Kunstpflege (office for the maintenance of art and buildings) of the Evangelical Church in Osnabrück, and ultimately from master sculptor Werner Paetzke.
The oldest predecessor church was a hall building, constructed on a sandy island-like knoll during the 10th century.
The single-nave long building, without a transept but with an almost semicircular apsis, was positioned before an open, two-storied vestibule to the west.
A salient feature is the robust stonework of the roofed hall with a width of 2.3 m, suggesting it functioned as part of a fortified church.
The form of the ground plan along with the highly retracted interior of the chancel point to late Carolingian or early Saxon-era designs.
However, this time a 14-metre-high (46 ft) tower with a vaulted upper floor and basement was also constructed on the west side of the church.
The market place is characterised by the visible side of the church, featuring four gables crested with tracery and narrow elevated lancet windows.
The buttresses – typical elements of Gothic architecture - help divide the visible side of the church into four vertical zones.
This dynamic image contrasts with the sober forms of nearby St. Peter's Cathedral as well as the more austere neighbouring market houses.
The opulent decorations and the high wimperg signify the Brautportal's status as the main entrance to the Marienkirche.
The contrast between the high-reaching clerestory and the low-lying ambulatory gives the room arrangement and vision guidance a particular dynamic.
The chancel vault is adorned with the crest of Bishop Erich von Hoya and other heraldic panels.
The continuation of the breadth of the nave into the chancel along with the clerestory over the arches – only separated by a narrow triforium – give the impression of a spacious and bright hall.
Mary and John – the secondary figures who are normally installed to the right and left of the crucifix – are merely shown as stone consoles on the pillars.
On a total of 12 painted panels on the front and reverse sides of the retable, the viewer is presented with the story of Christ through to his resurrection and the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Whitsun.
The carved central section of the main altar portrays the Annunciation, the Visitation, the birth, the Adoration, the Circumcision and the presentation in the Temple on six small alcoves.
