saint gereon's basilica

St Gereon is one of the most beautiful churches in Cologne and - as I know - the oldest. Built as a hectagon like Ravenna it stands on an old Roman temple. Best time for visiting is in summer, especially on "Romanic nights", then there are concerts at all Romanic churches. St Gereon has an extraordinary sound.

One of the twelve great Romanesque basilicas in Cologne.Situated at about 1km walking from the Dom.Nice,interesting architecture viewed from outside.Unfortunately we weren't able to visit the inside part,we tried several times but it was closed.

I didn't go inside, but walked past it at night. It is nicely lighted with a little plaze with trees in front of it.

Cologne is of course foremost known for its magnificient cathedral, and fewer people know that it harbours another equally significant treasure of medieval ecclestial architecture, namely the 12 romanesque churches, of which St. Gereon is a prime example. It is indeed one of the oldest churches north of the alps, with some parts of the current structure dating back to the 4th century AD. The most spectacular thing about this edifice is the so-called Decagon, the 10-sided main structure of this church, errected in the 12/13 century. This is a something unique in Romanesque architecture, which you will find no where else. Concenring the full compliment of all 12 buildings, there is no other place anywhere else, which has preserved such a large number of churches of the romanesque era, despite of all WWII carnage.

One of the older churches in Cologne, restored nicely after WW II damage. The architecture is almost completly restored, though there was considerable damage to the windows (in some cases replaces by nice 20th century art) and paintings. It's a bit away from the center of town, but worth the walk. A large head of St. Gereon, the patron saint of the church, lies in the park in front of the building (a Roman centurion, he was supposedly beheaded in Cologne for his faith). Check ahead for opening times--it is not always as open as, for example, the Cathedral.

Though the church is smaller in comparison, it is very beautiful inside. We had gone there on Sunday afternoon and were practically all by our self. The stained glass work and the galleries are very elegant.

A very large Basilica in the middle of the city. Very overwhelming when you stand below. In the neighbourhood are many small restaurant and shops where you can buy Italian ice cream.

St. Gereon Church is the most beautifull of the all Romanesque churches of Cologne. Dating from the 11th century, St. Gereon features a decagonal-shaped nave topped with a great dome. Inside are numerous medieval murals and mosaics, as well as an interesting ancient relic.In a niche north of the entrance is a section of an ancient granite column known as the Blutsaüle (Blood Column). The Latin inscription embedded in the wall above it indicates that the blood of a martyr (undoubtedly St. Gereon) was splashed on it and it became a sacred relic.

This is a medieval church, much different that the DOM and many of the others. It is intimate and you can really appreciate its age inside...do not let the outside fool you since it is re-built...the ancient feeling is inside.

Cologne's fall from grace at the beginning of the Reformation had the blessing that since the city had so little money they unintentionally saved many of their Romanesque churches from falling victim to the baroque. St Gereon's should be seen on a sunny day when the contemporary glass shines. Failing that, the glass is still pretty impressive. You enter into an eight-sided first church (8 for the 7 days of Creation and the Day of Resurrection)and before you see the raised upper church built over the tomb of the saint. Ask to see the crypt.

Architecturally unusual and well worth a visit but could be better lit inside. Good landmark and nicely lit up outside at night.

So much of St Gereon had to be reconstructed after World War II, it is odd to see so much new brick and stone, but there are still original floor mosaics in the crypt and elsewhere enough remnants of the 13th century building that it is definitely worth a visit. The scale is so intimate, and the feeling so different from the soaring Gothic vaults of the Cologne Cathedral, that St Gereon makes a great contrast architecturally to the Dom. We were the first visitors of the day on a recent Saturday morning, and got a personal tour from the building's caretaker who was very kind and showed us Roman tombstones embedded in the wall of the sacristy and the floor mosaic of the signs of the zodiac in the crypt. Saint Gereon is located in a quiet residential neighborhood not far from the Zeughaus (city of Cologne museum).

It is a beautiful model of the original medieval structure. Considering the options I expect rebuilding the old structure does make sense. I does look incredibly odd to me though in the new bricks! There is a little of the old walls still visible and this gives one an idea of what was lost. I great pity.I see it is still used today as a church which is also very practical.

Very old building with interesting towers, the window glasses has to be seen. Very quite area to travel around and also visiting gallerias

Unique church (in design). Not very well interpreted on site, but still very worthwhile to visit. It's a kilometre or so from the Dom.