It is likely that Geestenthorp, first mentioned in documents in 1139, initially had a wooden church, later a chapel made of fieldstone and bricks, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In the Stade Copiar of 1380 it is mentioned as a capella. In the Vieland uprising against the Archbishop of Bremen in 1434 the church was badly damaged. In an indulgence document from Pope Eugene IV in 1436 it is described as a ruin. With the help of these indulgence money the nave was soon enlarged or even rebuilt. When the Leher Schanze was bombarded by the Swedes in 1657 the tower was badly damaged. The medieval interior was lost. In 1663 the damage was repaired, and this date is attested by anchor pins on the tower. The church was given a semicircular apse in the east and was devoid of any figurative decoration. In 1742 a sundial was attached to the south side of the nave. In 1872-1875, the Marienkirche was redesigned in a neo-Gothic style by building officer C. W. Hase, and the choir extension was added. The nave was raised, pinnacles were added and the interior was richly painted. During the air raid on Bremerhaven on September 18, 1944, the Marienkirche burned down, and the roofs and vaults collapsed. It was not consecrated again until 10 years later on March 7, 1954. It was rebuilt in the old, simple style, largely dispensing with the neo-Gothic changes. The interior painting was added in 1979. The crucifixion group on the altar and the depiction of Noah's Ark in the tympanum above the church door were created by the Stuttgart artist Karl-Henning Seemann. Source: text panel
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