ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH

Description

Essentials about St. Michael’s Church in brief

Saint Michaelis, also affectionately called “Michel” by the people of Hamburg, is the most famous church building in Hamburg and the oldest landmark of the Hanseatic city. The church is dedicated to the archangel Michael, portrayed as a large bronze statue above the main portal as the victor in the battle with Satan. At a height of 106 meters above the Elbe there is an observation deck from which you can enjoy a magnificent view over Hamburg and the Port of Hamburg.

The history of St. Michael’s Church

The present building of the Michel is already the third church building on this site. Around the year 1600 – at that time still outside the Hamburg city walls – a small branch church was built near the Pestfriedhof (plague cemetery), the so-called “Little Michel”, that residents of Hamburg’s Neustadt (New Town) used as a church from 1625 onwards. The chapel soon became too small for the growing local community.

The first St. Michael’s Church

The first building on the present site was erected from 1647 to 1669 by Peter Marquard and Christoph Corbinus. In 1685, St. Michaelis became the fifth main church of the Hanseatic city alongside St. Petri (St. Peter’s), St. Jacobi (St. Jacob’s), St. Nikolai (St. Nicolas’) and St. Katharinen (St. Catherine’s). On March 10, 1750 a lightning strike triggered a fire that couldn’t be contained and consequently, completely destroyed the entire church.

The second St. Michael’s Church

In 1751, the foundation stone was laid for the second Michel, which was consecrated in 1762. However, the second building was not finally completed until 1786, when the tower was finished. Fatally, it was made entirely of wood and only covered with copper. In 1802, Johann Friedrich Benzenberg successfully conducted a series of dropping experiments on the tower to prove the earth’s rotation and thus beat Léon Foucault’s famous pendulum experiment by about 50 years. On July 3, 1906, the tower caught fire during soldering works on the roof truss that once again triggered a major fire burning down the entire nave down to the foundation walls.

The third St. Michael’s Church

As a result, there were heated discussions for and against the faithful reconstruction of the church. In the end, in consideration of the landmark character of St. Michael’s Church and the wishes of the population, the church was rebuilt in its old external form, this time however with a more fireproof construction of steel and concrete. Construction of the third Michel took six years. On October 19, 1912, St Michael’s Church was reopened.

During the Second World War, the entire area was severely destroyed by Allied bombing raids. Also the main nave of the church was hit in the bombardments of 1944 and 1945. The damage was repaired in the post-war years and St Michael’s Church was re-consecrated in 1952.

The architecture of St. Michael’s Church

St. Michaelis is one of the most beautiful baroque churches in Northern Germany. Today’s building is a reconstruction from 1912, after the church burned down in 1906. With a length of 52 metres and a width of 44 metres, the church offers space for more than 2.000 people.

The view from St. Michel’s Church

The 132 meter high church tower with its distinctive copper dome is visible from afar from all directions. 106 meters above the Elbe towers the observation deck from which visitors enjoy a magnificent view of Hamburg. With its diameter of eight meters, the tower clock is the largest in Germany.