St. Mary’s Church (Polish: Bazylika Mariacka, German: St. Marienkirche), or formally the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Brick GothicCatholic church located in central Gdańsk, Poland. With its volume between 185,000 m³ and 190,000 m³ it is currently one of the two or three largest brick churches in the world. Only San Petronio Basilica in Bologna, comprising 258,000 m³ is larger, Munich Frauenkirche and Ulm Minster also comprise 185,000 to 190,000 m³.
Between 1536 and 1572 St. Mary’s Church was used for Catholic and Lutheran services simultaneously. From the 16th century until 1945 it was the second largest Lutheran church in the world.
St. Mary’s Church is a triple-aisledhall church with a triple-aisledtransept. Both the transept and the main nave are of similar width and height. Certain irregularities in the form of the northern arm of the transept are remnants of the previous church situated on the same site. In all, the building is a good example of late Gothic architecture. The vaulting is a true piece of art. Much of it was restored after World War II. Main nave, transept and presbytery are covered by net vaults, while the aisles are covered by crystal vaults. The exterior of the nave is dominated by plain brick walls and high and narrow pointed arch windows. Such a construction was possible by placing corbels and buttresses inside of the church and erecting chapels between them. Similar constructions have been used in Albi Cathedral (1287–1487, Southern France) and Munich Frauenkirche (1468–1494). The gables are divided by a set of brick pinnacles. All corners are accentuated by turrets crowned by metal headpieces (reconstructed after 1970). Similar turrets can be found on the town hall of Lübeck as well as on the two large Churches of Leiden and on the Ridderzaal in The Hague. It is stabilized by strong buttresses. The church has seven portals, one in the west under the steeple, one in the eastern façade of the choir, two on the northern and three on the southern side, six of them (all except the western) are of sandstone masonry.
The church is decorated within with several masterpieces of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque painting. The most notable, The Last Judgement by Flemish painter Hans Memling, is currently preserved in the National Museum of Gdańsk. Other works of art were transferred to the National Museum in Warsaw in 1945. It was not until the 1990s when several of them were returned to the church. The most notable parts of internal decoration are:
Jerusalem Altar, 1495–1500 (currently in the National Museum in Warsaw)
