St. Gereon's Basilica, Cologne

According to legend, the patron of St. Gereon was a Roman officer who died for his christian belief together with 318 legionnaires. A church was built around 350 AD on the martyr’s grave which became the basis of today’s St Gereon’s Basilica. The enormous central space was then constructed in four phases. It was later completed with a decagonal dome that represented a masterly architectural achievement and dominates the appearance of the edifice until this day. The oval dome construction, which was completed in 1227, can be compared with the Hagia Sophia and the Duomo of Florence. // The Church of St. Gereon offers a fascinating view of the decagonal vaults from 21 metres below. It provides a great experience of space and light: The vividly coloured windows by Georg Meistermann create a medieval light atmosphere: coloured and relatively dark. Great intensity is also produced by the dome frescoes in shiny red with golden ornaments.