Oberkirche St. Nikolai (Cottbus)

Nestled in the heart of Cottbus, Brandenburg, the Oberkirche St. Nikolai stands as a testament to the region's rich history and architectural heritage. This late Gothic brick church, the largest medieval church in Lower Lusatia, has been a beacon of faith and culture for centuries. Its towering presence on Oberkirchplatz near the Altmarkt draws visitors in with promises of historical intrigue and architectural splendor.

The Storied History of Oberkirche St. Nikolai

The history of Oberkirche St. Nikolai stretches back to 1156, making it the earliest recorded church in Lower Lusatia. Excavations during renovations in 1910 uncovered the foundations of a hall church dating back to the late 13th century. The lower part of the west tower, built at the end of the 14th or beginning of the 15th century, is a remnant of this earlier structure. Construction of the current hall church began in the first half of the 15th century, with the altar room likely being the first part to be completed.

The church's construction was a lengthy process, spanning into the 16th century. The sacristy, a two-story annex, and the adjacent stair tower were added shortly after the choir was completed. The construction of the four western bays of the nave walls followed. A devastating city fire in 1468 caused significant damage, prompting a partial redesign of the nave and its transformation into a pseudo-basilica. The cross-shaped annexes on both sides were part of the original plan but were completed later. The church was vaulted and the previously four-story tower was raised by an additional story at the beginning of the 16th century.

In 1537, during the Reformation, the church became Protestant. To emphasize its prominence over the neighboring monastery church, which was subordinate to it, the church was designated Oberkirche (Upper Church) in 1572. The monastery church was accordingly called Unterkirche (Lower Church). The octagonal structure with a curved dome, lantern, and onion dome was added in 1685.

The interior of the church underwent significant renovations in 1891 and 1892. In 1896, the roof over the choir collapsed, and parts of the masonry fell onto the forecourt at the beginning of the 20th century. This led to another extensive renovation in 1910 and 1911. The church suffered severe damage during World War II, burning down to its foundations. The eastern nave pillar on the north wall, the vaults of the eastern nave and the northern side nave, and part of the clerestory collapsed. The church was subsequently rebuilt and re-consecrated on June 1, 1955. The vault was sealed in 1960, and the last windows were installed in 1965. The final construction work was completed in 1979, funded by a church building program in the GDR. Between 1993 and 1995, the church roof was modernized, followed by the restoration of the interior, which was completed in 2008.

Architectural Marvels

The Oberkirche St. Nikolai is a three-nave hall church made of bricks, featuring an ambulatory choir. The exterior of the nave and choir is characterized by stepped buttresses and high, multi-part pointed arch windows with tracery. The individual portals, particularly the larger north portal and the entrance portal in the west tower, are profiled with round and pear rods. The eastern north portal is adorned with wrought iron fittings dating back to the 1910 and 1911 renovations. A quatrefoil frieze runs below the eaves, originally a simple plaster band around the choir, which was matched to the rest of the frieze in 1910. The roofs of the side naves were lowered during renovations, highlighting the central nave.

A two-story sacristy is attached to the north wall of the altar room, extending over two bays. Its gable roof runs parallel to the church's nave, with the narrow sides featuring stepped gables and pointed arch panels. The sacristy is connected to the octagonal north and current baptismal chapel, capped with a massive plastered spire. An attica-like pierced roof decoration was added to the chapel's eaves in 1911. The south side of the Oberkirche features a slightly wider, two-bay south chapel with a more elaborate stepped gable, pinnacles, rope rods, and full-height panels on the west gable. A polygonal portal vestibule was added to the west of the south chapel at the beginning of the 16th century, resembling the baptismal chapel with a plastered spire and eaves decoration.

The Tower

The church tower is not aligned with the building's axis but is shifted northward. It stands on a fieldstone base with a three-story transverse rectangular substructure, followed by a square story with recessed sides and a bell story with chamfered corners. The lower story is unadorned, featuring a pointed arch west portal with a richly decorated rectangular double-leaf door. Pointed arch windows adorn the north and south sides of the lower story. The two upper stories are separated by horizontal blind strips and decorated with rows of pointed arch panels. The bell chamber is opened by high pointed arch sound openings with tracery and decorated with blind arches.

Above the bell chamber is an octagonal baroque-style structure with rectangular windows. The tower is topped by a curved dome and an onion dome with a lantern in between. The tower's superstructure was reconstructed in 1988 after being destroyed in World War II. The 55-meter-high tower can be climbed, offering a splendid view of Cottbus.

The Interior

The high and spacious stepped hall is supported by sturdy octagonal pillars and adorned with rich vaulting. The significant elevation of the nave is unique in Lower Lusatia. The altar room is divided by pilaster-like wall projections and enlivened at the base by pointed arch twin panels. The transition between the altar room and the nave is marked by a particularly robust pair of pillars with chamfered corners. The north aisle wall and the north chapel feature rows of round-arched niches. The wall and vault paintings were largely lost in the 1600 Cottbus city fire, but remnants were uncovered during the 1951 reconstruction. The paintings on the southeast choir pillar depict Saints Anthony of Padua, James the Elder, and Paul. A fragment of the Mocking of Christ remains on the third pillar from the south, while the painting on the north choir east pillar shows the Carrying of the Cross. These paintings date back to the 1470s and were restored by 1993.

The tower's lower story, serving as the church's entrance area, features a cell vault supported on the west wall by mask consoles. Large pointed arch niches adorn the walls. The upper story of the tower retains remnants of a two-bay ribbed vault. The sacristy has a ribless cross vault on consoles in the lower story and a later added star vault in the upper story. The north and south chapels are each adorned with parallel rib vaults. The upper story of the south chapel is decorated with a painting of the Pantocrator. The portal vestibule adjacent to the south chapel is covered with a groin vault. A copy of a late Gothic sculpture of Mary as Queen of Heaven, made in 1911, stands in the buttress niche; the original was moved to the tower hall.

Furnishings

Most of the historical furnishings of St. Nikolai Church were lost in the 1945 destruction. However, the altar retable from 1661 (or 1664) has survived. This early Baroque work by sculptor Andreas Schultze from Torgau features a wooden retable that was destroyed in 1945 and subsequently reconstructed. The altar retable, restored between 1953 and 1964, had its original paint stripped, later receiving a new paint job and gilding in line with its historical appearance. The multi-tiered, eleven-meter-high altar retable features a figurative relief. The base depicts the Nativity, the predella the Last Supper, and the main panel the Resurrection of Christ. The structure is adorned with auricular and cartilage work. The former altar wings with the city coat of arms were removed and stored in the city museum until 1945, after which they went missing. The altar base is a modern addition.