St. Marien Church (Schwerz)

St. Mary's (Schwerz)Schwerz, exterior view of the church
The Church of St. Marien is the village church in Schwerz, a district of Landsberg in the Saale district in Saxony-Anhalt. The building is listed in the local monument register under registration number 094 55335. The Schwerz parish belongs to the Schwerz parish association in the Halle-Saalkreis parish of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany (EKM).
Source de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Marien_(Schwerz)

Story
The first church was built in Schwerz in the 12th century; the wide west transverse tower of this building is still preserved today. During the Thirty Years' War, the church and the town suffered major damage and were restored in 1665.In 1729 a major renovation took place in the Baroque style, the nave was completely rebuilt and a two-story sacristy was added to the south, which housed a patron's box in the upper part. In 1883 the entire structure was renovated and the roof turret was placed on the gable roof of the church tower. After the fall of communism, the use of the church continued to decline; the church has no longer been used for worship services for around ten years.
Source de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Marien_(Schwerz)

Architecture and furnishings
The church stands on a small hill on the village street, surrounded by the cemetery. It is a single-nave hall building with a two-story sacristy with a patron's box attached to the south. In the west there is a wide transverse tower across the entire width of the nave, which is made of quarry stone masonry. The nave is plastered, but the tower is stone-faced. The tower has an asymmetrically placed small roof turret with a slim, pointed helmet. The nave has segmental arched windows, the tower has five small arched windows in the bell chamber.The interior contains a valuable and high-quality interior in the baroque style. The ceiling is designed as a wooden barrel ceiling and is painted with biblical figures. The high-quality pulpit altar shows two Ionic columns and an angel with the holy scriptures on the sound cover. On the gable you can see a figure of the Resurrected Christ, surrounded by a cloud-ray glory and two putti. The baptismal font is cup-shaped and round, with a slim shaft. The gallery in the west has two floors, the lower floor is designed as a horseshoe gallery and shows Bible words in the blue decorative fields. The upper gallery swings slightly forward in the middle and shows an openwork balustrade. The window niches show remains of ornamental painting.
Source de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Marien_(Schwerz)