Basilika St. Margareta

Basilika St. Margareta stands in Düsseldorf’s Gerresheim district as a Catholic parish church with a long collegiate past. Its two-storey octagonal tower and pointed roof rise above a building shaped by Rhineland Romanesque and early Gothic forms. Wheelchair access makes the basilica easier to experience.

The church grew from the Gerresheim women’s convent, founded in the ninth century by the Frankish nobleman Gerrich. Hungarian invaders destroyed the convent in 919, while the canonesses escaped to Cologne with relics of Saint Hippolytus. The present basilica took shape between 1220 and 1230 under Abbess Guda, then received its dedication around 1236. Its interior brings together late Romanesque colours, early Gothic wall structures, and stained glass.

Inside, the Gerricus sarcophagus displays high Gothic architectural motifs beside an Ottonian crucifix from around 960. A late Gothic Madonna wears a radiant crown, while the treasure chamber holds the Gerresheimer Evangeliar and a Limoges reliquary. The Marienglocke, cast in 1717, remains a tangible link with the church’s musical and religious history.

City: Düsseldorf
Content updated: 2026-06-22

Image: Wiegels CC BY 3.0
Image: Marek Gehrmann CC BY-SA 3.0
Image: Beckstet CC BY-SA 3.0
Image: Unknown authorUnknown authorPublic domain
Image: Unknown authorUnknown authorPublic domain

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