The Market Church (german: Marktkirche, italics=unset, meaning 'church at the market place') is the main

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

church in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, Germany. Built in the 14th century, it was referred to in 1342 as the church of Saints James and George ( la, ecclesia sanctorum Jacobi et Georgii) in dedication to

Saint James the Elder James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob ( Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin ...

and

Saint George Saint George ( Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

. Replacing an older, smaller, church at the same location that dated to 1125 and that is known to have been called (after Saint George) in 1238, Hanover grew around it and the market place situated immediately adjacent to its south that was established around the same time. Today the official name of the church is Market Church of Saints George and James ( ), and along with the nearby

Old Town Hall Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

is considered the southernmost example of the northern German

brick gothic Brick Gothic (german: Backsteingotik, pl, Gotyk ceglany, nl, Baksteengotiek) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resourc ...

architectural style (). A

hall church A hall church is a church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was invented in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Lübke, a pioneering German art historian. In contrast to an archi ...

with a monumental saddleback roof that rises above the nave and two aisles, the roof and the vaults of the naves were restored in 1952 after being destroyed in an air raid in 1943. Its tower, situated on its western side and a symbol of the power and wealth of the citizens of the town when built, is both a landmark of Hanover and, years after its roof was first constructed, one of the highest towers in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Altar

The main altar was carved of linden wood around 1480. Its front depicts the Passion of Christ in 21 scenes following models of

Martin Schongauer Martin Schongauer (c. 1450–53, Colmar – 2 February 1491, Breisach), also known as Martin Schön ("Martin beautiful") or Hübsch Martin ("pretty Martin") by his contemporaries, was an Alsatian engraver and painter. He was the most important ...

, while its back shows scenes from the lives of the two

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

and

Saint James Saint James or St. James may refer to: People Saints * James, brother of Jesus (died 62 or 69), also known as James the Just *James the Great (died 44), Apostle, also known as James, son of Zebedee, or Saint James the Greater ** Saint James Matamo ...

. Moved to the Aegidienkirche in 1663 to make room for a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

altar, the altar was taken to the in 1856 and thus spared destruction during World War II when the Aegidienkirche was bombed. It was returned to the Market Church in 1952.

Organ

An organ was installed in the tower room () in 1893, which included parts of an instrument of the 17th century. This organ was destroyed in World War II. Today's main organ is at the back wall of the southern aisle. The first instrument in that location was built in 1953 and 1954 by the organ builders and

Rudolf von Beckerath Rudolf von Beckerath (19 February 1907 – 22 November 1976) was a German master organ builder. He was born in Munich, to the painter Willy von Beckerath, but grew up in Hamburg, where his family moved the year he was born. He initially pu ...

. It had 61 stops, four manuals and pedal. The casing () was designed by Dieter Oesterlen and is a protected monument. From 2007 to 2009, the instrument was rebuilt by Orgelbau Goll in

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label= Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital o ...

. The casing and about half of the pipes were kept. The new organ has 64 stops, 39 of them mostly using the older material.

Bells

The Market Church has 11 bells. The Bell of Christ and Peace () is the biggest in Lower Saxony and is used on special occasions only. Domenico Quaglio Marktkirche Hannover.jpg, Early 19th century HanoverMarktkirche.JPG, Exterior, 2004 Hannover Marktkirche Innen.jpg, Interior, 2007

References

External links

*
Marktkirche
at MyTravelGuide
Kurze Kirchengeschichte der Altstadt
– short history of the churches in the Old Town, kirche-hannover.de {{Authority control

Markt Markt may refer to: * Aktueller Software Markt * Christkindl Markt * Media Markt * Rahela Markt Places in Germany * Markt Berolzheim * Markt Bibart * Markt Einersheim * Markt Erlbach * Markt Indersdorf * Markt Nordheim * Markt Rettenbach * Ma ...

Hanover, Market Tourist attractions in Hanover