St. Mary's Church

"Dating back to the Middle Ages, Marienkirche (also known as Saint Mary’s Church) is one of the oldest and most impressive churches in Berlin! A building with a long and fascinating history which includes several fires that instigated extensive refurbishments, it features a spectacular combination of gothic, baroque and neo-gothic architecture. In 1789 the church went through a Neo-Gothic overhaul, led by the famous architect ‘Carl Gotthard Langhans’ who is also renowned for his design of the Brandenburg Gate. The church originated in the 13th century and was built from red bricks in the ‘Brick Gothic’ style and has been an icon of Berlin’s cityscape located in Alexanderplatz for hundreds of years. The interior of the church holds a multitude of macabre artworks, providing some of the finest examples of ‘memento mori’ I found whilst visiting the city. You can view a whole host of skull carvings, winged hourglasses and painted skeletons amongst the spectacular memorials and artworks, which line both sides of the long central hall. It is interesting to note that many of these monuments have been saved from nearby churches, which were destroyed during the second world war and brought here for safe keeping. As well as these tremendous examples of thought-provoking iconography, you will find the fascinating fresco painting entitled ‘Der Totentanz’ (The Dance of Death) which is more than 22 metres in length by two meters in height. The piece dates back to the 1480’s but was only rediscovered in the 19th century during renovations on the church. Sources believe the piece was created in 1484, during the period of the plague epidemic, great famines and many wars, which resulted in the idea of death being an everyday occurrence. The design depicts people from all walks of life being led by the dead, in the form of a dancing corpse, to their death. Its purpose was to act as a reminder of one’s mortality and to encourage people to lead a religious life, whist reminding onlookers that we are all equal before the eyes of death. You can enjoy visiting Marienkirche free of charge but please bear in mind that this is an operational church, which still holds religious ceremonies, so I’d advise checking their schedule online before visiting. "

"Be sure to look inside the entrance of the Church here - it is free to go inside. Behind the glass you will see on the wall the 'Dance of the Dead'. This painting shows Kings, Bishops, Clergymen and ordinary people including beggars, dancing with a white cloaked figure - death. Painted when the plague was raging through Europe, the mural was supposed to remind visitors that death could come at any time and strike down anyone (kings as well as the poor) and so one should lead a pious life and be saved by God."