There are many historic churches in Nuremberg. Three of them are especially sought after for their uniqueness in terms of history and size.
The oldest parish church in the city, standing on Albrecht Dürer Square, is the church of St. Sebald (Sebalduskirche). Mentions of it date back to the 13th century. It was originally built as a Romanesque basilica with two towers, which can be seen in its central part, in the lower parts of the towers, and in the western aspida. It was named after St. Sebald, patron of the Nuremberg city. In the 8th century he worked here as a missionary and in the eastern Gothic part inside the temple you can find his tomb.
A gravestone cast from brass is carried by snails on its shells. It is a unique work by the Renaissance sculptor and metalworker Peter Vischer the Elder and his sons from 1508 to 1516. The stained-glass windows and the sculptures of the carver Veit Stoss also deserve attention. In the 14th century in the so-called Parler period, it was rebuilt and expanded in the Gothic style. After 1525 it became a Lutheran church. At the end of World War II was destroyed by bombing, and after its reconstruction, it was consecrated again in 1957.
