A 14-year restoration of northern Germany's oldest gothic brick church is complete in the eastern German city of Frankfurt an der Oder.
The candelabrum is located prominently in the Marienkirche.
Located within walking distance of the Oder River, the border between Germany and Poland, the Marienkirche, or Church of Our Lady, was built beginning in 1253 and is considered one of the most important representations of the brick gothic architecture popular in the region.
A choir hall, the last major addition to the church's main body, was built in 1522 alongside the founding of the Viadrina University, whose notable alumni include Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt.
The church was largely destroyed by bombing in 1945 and lay in rubble until 1974, when church and city leaders decided to rebuild it.
Costs to restore the church to its pre-war splendor reached 14 million Eur ($17.6 million), including one million Eur ($1.3 million) alone for its collection of stained-glass windows.
The Marienkirche achieved special notoriety four years ago when Russia returned 111 of the large stained-glass windows that had been plundered from the church during World War II. The largest of these windows was installed and christened in May 2005, with the two large-scale windows to follow in June, 2007.
Many of its treasures, such as a 1489 altarpiece and a 14th-century bronze candelabra, have been stored since 1980 in the nearby St. Gertraud Church.
Frankfurt an der Oder is the birthplace of 19th-century German romantic writer Heinrich von Kleist, and is home to the Kleist Museum and the Kleist Forum, an arts and culture and convention center.
Links:
St. Marienkirche
The candelabrum is located prominently in the Marienkirche.
Located within walking distance of the Oder River, the border between Germany and Poland, the Marienkirche, or Church of Our Lady, was built beginning in 1253 and is considered one of the most important representations of the brick gothic architecture popular in the region.
A choir hall, the last major addition to the church's main body, was built in 1522 alongside the founding of the Viadrina University, whose notable alumni include Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt.
The church was largely destroyed by bombing in 1945 and lay in rubble until 1974, when church and city leaders decided to rebuild it.
Costs to restore the church to its pre-war splendor reached 14 million Eur ($17.6 million), including one million Eur ($1.3 million) alone for its collection of stained-glass windows.
The Marienkirche achieved special notoriety four years ago when Russia returned 111 of the large stained-glass windows that had been plundered from the church during World War II. The largest of these windows was installed and christened in May 2005, with the two large-scale windows to follow in June, 2007.
Many of its treasures, such as a 1489 altarpiece and a 14th-century bronze candelabra, have been stored since 1980 in the nearby St. Gertraud Church.
Frankfurt an der Oder is the birthplace of 19th-century German romantic writer Heinrich von Kleist, and is home to the Kleist Museum and the Kleist Forum, an arts and culture and convention center.
Links:
St. Marienkirche
"I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it."
[Ratzinger:"Salt of the Earth"]
May Our Papa's radiant-light continuously shine forth to illuminate Christ for the world!
[Ratzinger:"Salt of the Earth"]
May Our Papa's radiant-light continuously shine forth to illuminate Christ for the world!
