Lady Church

The Minster of Our Lady is a Catholic parish church in Donauwörth in the Bavarian Diocese of Augsburg.

On the site of the current church, there was previously the Ulrich Church, built in the 11th century. Construction of the current three-nave late Gothic hall church began in 1444 under city architect Hans Knebel. Brick was used as building material. When a side aisle collapsed in the 13th year of construction, Hans Knebel had to hand over construction responsibility to Augsburg's Ulrich Walther, who completed the church. On December 4, 1467, the church was consecrated by Augsburg auxiliary bishop Jodok Seitz OPraem after 23 years of construction. In 1607, the church was re-Catholicized. The tower of the Minster, which houses five bells, was adorned with a Gothic spire until 1732. However, it was destroyed twice by lightning strikes and replaced by a low tent roof. In 1938, frescoes were uncovered that presumably date from the time of construction. During the air raids on Donauwörth towards the end of World War II on April 11 and 19, 1945, the Minster suffered severe damage. The west facade was torn apart by a bomb, the star vault and tracery windows in the choir were partially destroyed, the Herrgottsruhe chapel was completely destroyed, and the Gothic sacrament house was heavily damaged. Initial stabilization work took place in 1945, restoration work was carried out by the Siebinger company until 1952, and in 1953 the tower was restored, removing the plaster. Exterior renovations took place from 1981 to 1986 and in 2012. The last interior renovation was from 1987 to 1991; during this time, the main altar was created with an ambo made of gray shell limestone by sculptor Franz Hämmerle from Windach. The 57-meter-high church tower can be climbed as part of guided tours, with 218 steps leading to the observation gallery at the bell-ringer's room.

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