St. Maria im Kapitol

St. Maria im Kapitol is a copy of several well-known architectural models. The imposing, triple-nave crypt is based on the model of the crypt in Speyer Cathedral, and the former gallery on the west wall is a conscious resort to the octagonal architecture of the »Pfalzkapelle« in Aachen. Additionally, the east chancel of »St. Maria im Kapitol« is an exact reconstruction of the chancel of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

St. Maria im Kapitol
Address:	Marienplatz 19 50676 Cologne
Phone:	0221/214615
Fax:	0221/2403432
E-Mail:	pfarrbuero@maria-im-kapitol.de
Opening hours:	Mon. - Sun. 9.30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Remarks:	groups please make an appointment
Milestones
1st century	Roman temple constructed for the gods Juno, Jupiter and Minerva
7th century	The Merovingian major-domos took over possession of the temple area
11th century	The abbess Ida commissioned the construction of today's building
1049	Pope Leo IX consecrated the rood altar in the nave in the presence of Emperor Henry III
1065	The final consecration was conducted by Archbishop Anno II
12th - 13th century	The central tower area was vaulted into the nave
1637	The west tower collapsed and was not rebuilt

Built over late Roman foundations, the late Ottonian building from the 11th century was the first with a trefoil choir (triconch), a frequently copied characteristic of Romanesque ecclesiastical architecture in the Rhineland.

The church possesses a rich selection of treasures. The wooden doors dating from around 1050, which are today located on the west wall of the southern side aisle, are particularly valuable. Three figures of the Madonna can be seen around the church, like the enthroned Madonna and child from the 12th century. And today the well-known fork shaped »Plague« crucifix dating from 1304 is to be found in the chapel between the north and east conch. Last but not least there's the magnificent rood screen from 1523.