St. Maria im Kapitol
The largest Romanesque church in Cologne, built on the site of a Roman temple, famous for its clover-shaped choir and wooden doors nearly a thousand years old.
St. Maria im Kapitol is the largest of Cologne’s twelve Romanesque churches. It was built on the site of the ancient Roman Capitoline Temple and completed in the mid-11th century. Its eastern end has a clover-leaf-shaped choir, which set the model for Romanesque architecture in the Rhineland. Inside is a carved wooden door dating from about 1065, one of the most important Romanesque wood carvings surviving in Germany, along with a Renaissance choir screen. The quiet cloister courtyard is a good place to rest. Admission is free. Located on the south side of the Old Town, it is a 5-minute walk from the Alter Markt.
Opening hours
Open daytime; visits paused during Mass
Nearby sights
- Wallraf-Richartz Museum
- Farina Fragrance Museum
- Cologne City Hall
- Cologne Old Town & Great St. Martin
- Früh am Dom
- Kolumba
- Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral
- Chocolate Museum