More Brick Gothic: Hamburg, Germany (II) St. James Church (German: Hauptkirche St. Jacobi) is one of the five principal churches (Hauptkirchen) of Hamburg. In 1529, it became a Lutheran church. It is located directly in the city centre, has a 125 m tall tower and features a famous organ by Arp Schnitger from 1693. It is dedicated to St James the Greater and often incorrectly referred to in English as St Jacobs. The history of the church goes back to 1255 when St. James was a small chapel located outside the Hamburg city walls. After these were extended in 1260, it became part of the Hamburg city territory. It is now in the heart of the city, hidden behind one of the main shopping streets (Mönckebergstraße). Between 1350 and 1400, the chapel was replaced by a hall church with three naves, similar to St. Peters. Around one hundred years later, a fourth nave was added to the south side of the structure. The sacristy in the northeast also comes from this time (1438) and is today Hamburgs only example of secular gothic architecture.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 02:13:04 +0000
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