St. Ulrich and Afra (Augsburg), Germany.

The Basilica of St. Ulrich and Afra is a Catholic parish church in Augsburg , and with its tower landmark in its southern Old Town. In the church are tombs containing the remains of the Diocese of Saint Ulrich , Afra and Simpertus kept.

The present church stands on a site which dated 8 already to 15 Century had several church buildings. This arose from pilgrimages to worship the Holy Afra († 304). The initially outside the city buildings were destroyed during the Hungarian invasions or fell victim to fires. The Augsburg Bishop Ulrich was buried 973 near Afra. Since 1012, the sanctuary was the Benedictine monastery of St. Ulrich and Afra Augsburg care.

The origin is a late Roman church has been demonstrated that in the 7th Century by a Merovingian was replaced conditioning. Around 800 followed by a Carolingian church, which made ​​1064/71 a pre-Romanesque church square. The high medieval monastery church was a two-aisled hall with Ostapsiden, which was about one-third shorter than the present church. The South was a little wider than the north aisle, the total width corresponded to the succession to. The dilapidated predecessor church had to be demolished in 1466 under Abbot Melchior by Stan home. 1467, the new building began in late Gothic style. The architect was the Strasbourg Valentin kindlin, probably executed designs of Hans von Hildesheim. The shell was partially offset in 1474 in a storm.

In 1474 the construction of the existing house of worship was started as a brick and in 1500 Burkhart Engelberg completed. Engelberg has dealt with the establishment of the Ulmer Münster tower set an impressive monument. The vaults of the north aisle in 1489 were completed in 1499 and the nave was vaulted. The Roman-German king and later Emperor Maximilian I (HRR) has laid the foundation stone for the Chorbau his "kingdom of God house" in 1500. 1537 came to a temporary halt of construction work. Because of the faith disputes in the 16th Century only came in 1603/04 to complete this construction project (1300-year-anniversary Afra). The church belonged to the Benedictine monastery of the same name, the 44-1802 1643 / imperial abbey was. Monastery and Reichsstift were then in the course of secularization lifted and slammed his possession the Bavarian State. 1810 was devoted to the church to the parish church. Since 4 July 1937 is the Church Papal Basilica .

During World War II damaged air attacks 1944/45, the tower dome and windows. Reconstruction and renovation measures were followed from 1946 to 1950. The lower church with the tomb chambers of the saints was designed in 1962. The original color of the interior could be recovered 1988.

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