Cologne - St. Maria in Lyskirchen

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior".

The church was founded in the 9th century as a chapel of a Franconian lord. Afterwards it became the parish church of the boat- and fishermen´s village of Noithusen that in 1106 was integrated into Cologne´s new city wall.

This church got replaced 1200 - 1230. The new church, (seen here) was sponsored by the Overstolz and Lyskirchen families. The church is a vaulted galleried basilica wirh a double towered choir facade, facing the Rhine river.

1520/30 almost all Romanesque windows got replaced by Gothic tracery windows. In 1784 the church was severely damaged by ice drift.

Renovations were done from 1868 to 1876 and hidden under plaster this fresco was from the 13th century discovered. Seen to the left are the Three Magi. The relics of the Magi were brought to Cologne in 1159 by Rainald von Dassel, Archbishop of Cologne and Barbarossa´s Archchancellor of Italy. The bones, a loot from Milan, started a huge pilgrimage to Cologne.