St. Maria ad Gradus ("Our Lady of the Steps", also colloquially called ''Mariengraden'' in

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...

) is the name of a former church located East of the Cathedral of Cologne, Germany, situated between the cathedral and the

Rhine The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...

. Founded by

Herman II, Archbishop of Cologne Herman II ( – 11 February 1056), a member of the Ezzonid dynasty, was Archbishop of Cologne from 1036 until his death. Life He was the son of the Lotharingian Count Palatine Ezzo (955–1043) and his wife Matilda of Germany, Countess Palati ...

, the church was the burial site of blessed

Richeza of Lotharingia Richeza of Lotharingia (also called ''Richenza'', ''Rixa'', ''Ryksa''; born about 995/1000 – 21 March 1063) was a member of the Ezzonen dynasty who became queen of Poland as the wife of Mieszko II Lambert. Her Polish marriage was arranged to s ...

(died March 1063), a former Queen of Poland and a grandchild of

Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Ital ...

and his wife

Theophanu Theophanu (; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', or ''Theophano''; Medieval Greek ; AD 955 15 June 991) was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority of their son, Emperor ...

. The Romanesque building, 55m long and 42m wide, was probably completed by Archbishop

Anno II Anno II ( – 4 December 1075) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1056 until his death. From 1063 to 1065 he acted as regent of the Holy Roman Empire for the minor Emperor Henry IV. Anno is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church. Life He was ...

in 1075, when the relics of St. Agilulfus of Cologne (died 750) were transferred there. St Mary's functioned as a ceremonial reception church. In 1080 it burned down, but was rebuilt in 1085 and later expanded. Also on the premises was the separate ''Afrakapelle'', a chapel dedicated to

Saint Afra Saint Afra (died 304) was martyred during the Diocletian persecution. Along with Saint Ulrich, she is a patron saint of Augsburg. Her feast day is August 7. Afra was dedicated to the service of the goddess, Venus, by her mother, Hilaria. Thro ...

. The remains of Richeza and others were later translated to the cathedral, which had been begun in 1248.

Konrad von Hochstaden Konrad von Hochstaden (or Conrad of Hochstadt) (1198/1205 – 18 September 1261) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1238 to 1261. Life Konrad was a son of Count Lothar of Hochstadt, canon of St. Maria ad Gradus and of the old Cologne Cathedral, and ...

was canon of St. Maria ad Gradus and Archbishop of Cologne at this time, from 1238 to 1261. Following the French occupation of the Rhineland in 1794, monasteries and religious foundations were dissolved, and churches abandoned. Most of the members left the monastery, which was dissolved in 1802."St. Maria ad Gradus", Altes Köln
/ref> As St. Maria ad Gradus was too close to other churches (the Cathedral, Great St. Martin's, and St. Andreas), it was partially demolished in 1817; and most of what remained was removed in 1827 when the area was cleared to allow the Cathedral's restoration and completion. Only a few fragments remain. After excavations at the cathedral in 1866, finds related to St. Mariengraden were sent to various museums.

Other burials

Conrad I, Duke of Bavaria Conrad I ( 1020 – 5 December 1055), also known as Cuno or Kuno, was the duke of Bavaria from 1049 to 1053. He was of the Ezzonen family, his parents being Liudolf, Count of Zütphen and eldest son of Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lorraine, and Mati ...

Rotondo-McCord. Jonathan. "Body snatching and episcopal power: Archbishop Anno II of Cologne (1056–1075), burials in St Mary's ad gradus, and the minority of King Henry IV", ''Journal of Medieval History'', Volume 22, Issue 4, December 1996, Pages 297-312
/ref> * Agilulfus of Cologne

References

External links

* koelner-dom.de
The picture shows the cathedral as well as the St.Maria ad gradus church situated towards the east of the cathedral.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria ad Gradus

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

Romanesque architecture in Germany 1817 disestablishments