University Church of Marburg

About

The foundation of the church came in 1291, the era of Gothic architecture. The Dominican Order originally received permission from Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse to build a monastery and church. The Dominicans were popular among the population because they contributed to the poor and health care expenses. They received generous donations which enabled them to richly endow the church, built in dedication to John the Baptist.

In 1527, after the introduction of the Protestant Reformation in the Landgraviate of Hesse, the monastery was secularized and its property was handed over as the material foundation for the newly formed Philipps University, which taught in the monastery buildings until 1873. The University Church was also used for funerals of former professors. At times, the buildings around the church were used as granaries. In 1653, after the Thirty Years' War, the university and the church were re-opened by William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.

A redesign and refurbishing of the interior was completed in 1927 on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the university under the auspices of the then priest Karl Bernhard Ritter.

The church is asymmetrical with two spans. The…