St. Gereon

Walking through the streets in Cologne on a rainy day, we stumbled upon this Basilica. This is a beautiful Basilica and we enjoyed the architecture, art and quietness of what this Basilica offers. There is so much of history in Germany and this is one of them. We saw many art depicting Christendom and history of Cologne. It is very peaceful to be here. The atmosphere is very reflective and you can pray and mediate as this is what this church is for. We did not had to pay a fee but to respect this place for what it is. We spent about 45 minutes here and moved on. There is also a write up about this Basilica in the front foyer.

Beautiful place, and a lot less busy than the Cathedral! The volunteer lady here was lovely and helpful. A lot of the place was destroyed in the WW2 bombing, but that does mean the stained glass is more modern, and personally, a lot more interesting. The crypt downstairs is also worth checking out.

So..I wanted to visit this place because of the beautiful orange cupola you see in Google pics - I'll be honest...it wasn't that beautiful bright orange I was imagining...but boy! This place did not disappoint!! From the moment you enter, you feel transported to another world..another age. The entrance niche gave me goosebumps - the mother and son statue is entrancing and you can take a bit of time to sit and reflect before it. The main hall itself is multi tiered (very different in its feel from other churches I have seen), with the gorgeous orange cupola looking down on you with all its glory. Don't miss the crypt entrance, or the underlying frangrance of lollies through the church.
Tip- go during lunch time and grab a bit at the donor place across the road - Anya Donor. (We passed it during lunch and saw the super long line and figured it was a good bet to take). By the time we got done with St. GEREON and returned, it was nice and empty. Delicious food, amazing portions, perfect prices!

Interesting church, found by mistake! You can notice the different architecture styles. The body of Gereon, a Theban soldier that refused paganism, lies in a small crypt! It worths a visit!

Amazing architecture! When we visited the place, we were all by ourselves. The caretaker was a lovely person. He gave a tour of the whole place, gave us a piece of it's history, showed us which parts were untouched since building and which parts were rebuilt after it's part-destruction during the war. Currently and until January 2022 there is some art display inside, which was also interesting.

Lovely church! The person responsible was very nice and gave us a little "tour" of the church's history.

Beautiful Romanesque style Church in Cologne.

Beautiful church. Its at a walking distance from city center. It close by 6 PM.

One of the Romanesque gems in Bonn. With stunning examples of Roman structure and later development. Well worth visiting. The decagonal dome and baptismal chapel are not to be missed

Amazing architecture and a must visit if you are on a holiday. The church is open for visit on days when mass is not taking place.

Really quiet area just a bit outside of the city, this romanesque church is a nice hidden gem with a green area around

Beautiful-- a bit out of the way but worth it; in my opinion it's much nicer (and far less touristy) than the Cologne Cathedral

Heard the Bach Chor there. It was a very pleasant experience.

This romanic church has a special atmosphere and is a place of contemplation and stillness. The oval structure is awesome. The destruction from the war is carefully rebuilt that only the trained eye sees the difference.

Beautiful church
The caretaker showed us a “hidden” chapel

I was absolutely amazed, thrilled, and somewhat dumbfounded by the inside looks of the church

It is an impressive church with an even more impressive history behind its Roman architecture, dating back to the 4th century! Unfortunately, all the stained-glass windows were undergoing repair, so we couldn't pass beyond the entrance hall.

Amazing monumental and truly impressive dome. One can also see the oldest image of the city of Cologne. Beautiful church this one.

St. Gereon is the most important late antique sacral building in Cologne and the most important royal church of the East Franconian Empire hence it deserves a visit, I believe.

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