Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

St. Mary's Church was built from 1326 to 1364 and belonged to the Order of St. Mary. The interior of the church was only furnished in the second half of the 15th century. In the 16th century the Protestants took possession of the church. After the invasion of the Russian army on March 7, 1945, the church was destroyed. The Franciscan Order rebuilt the church until the 1950s. Today, the Catholic community uses the church.

St. Mary's Church in Bergen is a long church in the form of a basilica. Inside, strong square pillars support the vaults and mark the transition between the nave and the aisles. The choir is lower and narrower than the nave. The church has two towers that rise above the western end of the aisles. The church was built in the classical Romanesque style in the first half of the 12th century, but there are also later additions in the Gothic style. The magnificent altarpiece was probably made in Lübeck in the late 15th century.

St. Mary's Church is a Lutheran-Evangelical church built from 1250, making it one of the oldest places of worship in the city. After the damage caused by a fire, the parish renovated the tower structure in 1663-1666 according to the plans and under the direction of Michael Mathias Smids in the Baroque style. In the sense of a return to the Gothic style, Hermann Blankenstein commissioned extensive work between 1893 and 1894, which contributed considerably to giving the church its present appearance.

St. Mary's Church is the oldest of the three Roman Catholic parish churches in Biel. On the outside, the church adopts neo-Gothic forms; inside, it is one of the few Swiss churches in the expressionist style. The church building consists of an upper church, built by the architect Adolf Gaudy in 1927-1929, and a crypt, formed by the former church, built in 1867-1870 by the architect Wilhelm Keller.

This church began its construction in the 13th century, at the foot of the Sparrenburg fortress. The church gained its final appearance in the 15th century and is most noted by its two 78 meter tall gothic spires. These spires were replaced after the originals were destroyed in the Second World War. The church houses a 15th-century altarpiece done by an unknown artist that is considered one of the most valuable pieces of medieval art in Germany; two of its fragments are kept in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

St. Mary's Basilica served as a Catholic and Protestant church (in 1572-1945). Built in the years 1346-1502, the church is an example of brick Gothic (typical of the Baltic basin) and is one of the largest temples in the world built in bricks.

The sister churches on Gran were built in the 12th century and expanded in the 13th century. The two stone churches, St. Mary's Church (Mariakirken) and St. Nicholas' Church (Nikolaikirken), are built only 30 meters apart. The churches have been named "Sister Churches" after the legend of two sisters who, due to unfriendliness, had to have their own church. But it was actually not uncommon in the Middle Ages for churches with different functions to be built close together. After a lightning strike in 1813, St. Mary's Church remained a ruin until the 1860s when the church was restored with roofs and windows. In 1912-15 it was again restored to be used as a burial chapel. In 1990-92 it was restored for use as a parish church. The church is built of rough-hewn stone with a chancel that is almost as wide as the nave.

The St. Mary's Church was founded around 1275 and is one of the most important hall churches in the Gothic brick style in north-eastern Germany. The interior contains medieval wall paintings from the 15th century, a pulpit built in 1587 and the neo-Gothic altar wall designed in 1837.

St. Mary's Church is first mentioned in 1396. The present stone church was probably built between 1430 and 1470 by the master of Pernå who designed, among others, the church in Pyhtää, the church in Pernå, the old church in Sipoo and the cathedral in Porvoo. The church was stolen and burned down twice during the wars in the 16th century. The decorations on the vaults and walls were damaged and other valuables were lost. The church burned again in the fire of Hamina in 1821. The Gothic building was later renovated by Carl Ludvig Engel in the Empire style and completed in 1828.

St. Mary's Church is a Catholic church completed in 1954, designed by the architect Kaj Salenius. The interior of the church was renovated in 1985. At that time, the altar wall was covered with natural stone mosaics made by the German deacon and artist Claus Kilian.