St Martin's Church is one of Cologne's most famous Romanesque basilicas. It is located right in the centre of the city, where it is rather densely surrounded by various buildings of the late 20th century.
The history of this beautiful church dates back to the 12th century, when it was built on what was left of one of the older buildings from the Roman era. For several centuries the church attached to a Benedictine monastery, but during the period of secularisation it became a regular parish church. Unfortunately, the basilica suffered considerable damage during the warfare of the 20th century, and restoration continued until 1985. At present, St Martin's Church is open to the public.
Of the past interior decoration and interior, almost nothing has survived to the present day. What has survived is the altar, which was made at the very beginning of the sixteenth century and is located in the side aisle. The sculptural group depicting scenes of Christ's Passion is worthy of special attention. Each of them is framed by a special Gothic arch made of sandstone. The author of these sculptures is Tilman van der Burgh, who worked in Cologne in the 15th century.
Not far from the crucifixion there is a font carved from stone in the XIII century. It is in the shape of an octahedron and is decorated with friezes of lilies. Historians believe that this font was formerly in the church of St. Brigitte, but was later presented by Leopold III to the church of St. Martin. Of particular value to the church is the triptych depicting the Adoration of the Magi.
