St. Mary's Church, Gdańsk
| St Mary's Church | |
|---|---|
South view, 2018 | |
| 54°20′59.1″N 18°39′13.3″E / 54.349750°N 18.653694°E | |
| Address | Podkramarska 5, Śródmieście, Gdańsk |
| Country | Poland |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Previous denomination | Lutheran |
| Website | Official website |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church Co-cathedral Minor basilica |
| Dedication | Assumption of Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | active |
| Architect(s) | Heinrich Ungeradin, Hans Brandt, Heinrich Haetzl, Tylman Gamerski (Royal Chapel) |
| Architectural type | Hall church |
| Style | Brick Gothic |
| Years built | 1379–1502 |
| Groundbreaking | 1343 |
| Completed | 1502 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 25,000–30,000 |
| Length | 105.5 m (346 ft 2 in) |
| Width | 66 m (216 ft 6 in) |
| Nave width | 41 m (134 ft 6 in) |
| Floor area | 5,000 m2 (54,000 sq ft) |
| Number of towers | 1 |
| Tower height | 82 m (269 ft 0 in) |
| Number of spires | 5 |
| Spire height | 78 m (255 ft 11 in) |
| Materials | Brick |
| Bells | 2 |
| Tenor bell weight | 7,850 kg (7.73 long tons) |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Gdańsk |
| Parish | Assumption of Mary in Gdańsk |
| Designated | 1994-09-08 |
| Part of | Gdańsk – city within the 17th-century fortifications |
| Reference no. | M.P. 1994 nr 50 poz. 415 |
St. Mary's Church (Polish: Bazylika Mariacka, German: St. Marienkirche) is a Roman Catholic church and co-cathedral located in central Gdańsk, Poland. Completed in 1502 in the Brick Gothic architectural style, it is one of the world's largest brick churches and among the city's most important landmarks, known to its inhabitants as the Crown of Gdańsk (Polish: Korona Gdańska). Together with Oliwa Cathedral, it serves the Archdiocese of Gdańsk.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place in 1343, however, the construction of the present church began in 1379. St. Mary's is an aisled hall church with a transept; its exterior was largely influenced by other churches and temples built across cities or townships in proximity to the Baltic Sea that were part of the Hanseatic League. Between 1536 and 1572, St. Mary's Church was used for Catholic and Lutheran services simultaneously. Additionally, a domed side chapel in the Baroque fashion was erected for the Kings of Poland and Catholic worship in the late 17th century.
With a seating capacity of over 25,000 and a volume of approximately 155,000 cubic metres (5,500,000 cu ft), it is one of the three largest brick churches ever constructed, along with San Petronio in Bologna and the Frauenkirche in Munich. It was also the second largest Lutheran church in the world from the 16th century until 1945. The structure is 105.5 metres (346 ft 2 in) long, and the nave is 41 metres (134 ft 6 in) wide; the total width of the church is 66 metres (216 ft 6 in). The internal height is estimated at 29 metres (95 ft 2 in) at maximum point.