St. Sebaldus Church (Sebalduskirche) is the oldest of Nuremberg`s large city churches and the oldest Lutheran parish church in the city. It stands a little north of the main market square, Hauptmarkt, next to the Town Hall and Albrecht Dürer Square. Along with St. Lawrence Church and the Church of Our Lady, St. Sebaldus Church is the most significant religious building in Nuremberg in terms of cultural and historical importance.
The church bears the name of St. Sebaldus — the city`s patron saint, a hermit and missionary who lived in the forests near Nuremberg in the first half of the 11th century. Although he was venerated as a saint in Nuremberg itself from the mid-13th century, Pope Martin V officially recognised him only in 1425.
Architecture of St. Sebaldus Church
Construction of the church began around 1225 and was completed by 1273–1275. Originally, it was built as a Romanesque basilica with two choirs. During the 14th century, important changes were made: the side aisles were widened and the spires were made taller (1309–1345), then a late Gothic hall choir was erected (1358–1379).
The two towers, which today are among the main architectural landmarks of Nuremberg, were added in the 15th century. The church`s facade faces west and mirrors the facade of St. Lawrence Church on the opposite bank of the Pegnitz River — these two churches seem to echo each other across the city.
Baroque renovation
In the mid-17th century, galleries were added to the church and the interior was remodelled in the Baroque style. This was the last major architectural phase before the tragic events of the 20th century.
History of St. Sebaldus Church
The importance of St. Sebaldus Church was clearly demonstrated by the fact that the emperor, when officially arriving in Nuremberg, visited it first — even if his path led through the southern part of the city past the other important church, St. Lawrence Church.
Originally, as was often the case in the Middle Ages, St. Sebaldus Church was surrounded by a churchyard that occupied all the space on the north side as far as Dürer Square with its monument to the artist. From 1518, by decision of the city council, burials were no longer held in the old city.
The Reformation
From 1524–1525, St. Sebaldus Church, like all of Nuremberg, became Lutheran. This decision by the city council determined the religious affiliation of the church for centuries to come.
Destruction and restoration
The church was seriously damaged during the Second World War — Allied air raids caused enormous damage to both its external appearance and its interior. However, many objects and works of art had been hidden and saved in advance: the baptismal font from 1430, the Peter Altar from 1480, the stained glass windows (including those based on sketches by Albrecht Dürer).
After the war, the church was carefully restored and reopened to parishioners and visitors in 1957. Today it is an active parish church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria.
Main treasures of St. Sebaldus Church
1. Shrine of St. Sebaldus (Sebaldusgrab)
This is the most significant and most noticeable feature of the church`s pre-Reformation decoration. The tomb monument to St. Sebaldus, crafted by the workshop of Peter Vischer and his sons, was created between 1508 and 1519. It is a 5-meter bronze aedicule — a true marvel of casting art. Interestingly, the bronze composition is "carried" by 12 snails and 4 dolphins.
In the centre of the structure is a silver reliquary casket (shrine) in which, in a purple bag, the relics of St. Sebaldus are kept. Before the Reformation, noble citizens of Nuremberg carried the casket with the relics in a procession on 19 August — the day of St. Sebaldus. Nowadays, this custom is not regular; the last time the saint`s shrine was opened was on 19 August 1993.
2. Stained glass windows based on Dürer`s sketches
The church has preserved magnificent stained glass windows, created around 1500 based on sketches by Albrecht Dürer and Hans Süss. They are among the few original windows that survived the war, and they are of immense artistic value.
3. Works by Veit Stoß and Adam Kraft
In the church, you can see sculptural works by famous Nuremberg masters. Veit Stoß created the figures and epitaphs that adorn the interior. Adam Kraft, in 1492, created the tomb monument for the Schreier-Landauer family, decorating it with compositions on biblical themes: Christ carrying the cross, the crucifixion, the burial and the resurrection.
4. Tucher Epitaph
This is a famous tombstone of one of Nuremberg`s most influential patrician families, executed with great skill.
5. The main organ
The church had an organ as early as the 14th century. The main organ was built between 1440 and 1441 by the organ builder Heinrich Traxdorf from Mainz, who also built two small organs for Nuremberg`s Frauenkirche. Traxdorf was an innovator in organ building — his design departed from the traditional Gothic Blockwerk, which made the instrument unique for its time.
Unfortunately, the historic organ case was destroyed during the bombing raid on 2 January 1945. Today`s organ is a 4-manual instrument with 122 stops, installed in 1975 by the organ builder Peter from Cologne.
6. Pfarrhof and Chörlein
St. Sebaldus Church owns the Pfarrhof — a building from the second half of the 14th century, where preachers, deacons and servants lived. The apse of the house chapel of this building — the world-famous Chörlein — unfortunately, has been preserved on its original site only as a copy from 1898–1902; the original is in Nuremberg`s Germanisches Nationalmuseum.
Interesting features of St. Sebaldus Church
The church contains a so-called "Judensau" — an anti-Semitic sculpture from the late 14th century, depicting a sow with figures of Jews. It is located about 7 meters high on the church wall. This is a grim reminder of the dark pages of medieval history, left as a historical artefact.
The emperor, upon arriving in Nuremberg, even if he entered the city through the southern gate (past St. Lawrence Church), always headed first to St. Sebaldus Church — so great was its status.The image of S t. Sebaldus, popular with the city`s patricians, emphasised their sovereignty in contrast to the neighbouring bishoprics of Bamberg, Würzburg and Regensburg.
St. Sebaldus Church is not just the oldest church in Nuremberg. Here, under one roof, you can see masterpieces by Dürer, Vischer, Stoß and Kraft. It is a place where you can feel the breath of the medieval imperial city and understand why Nuremberg was one of Europe`s cultural centres for centuries.
