Basilica of St Mary in the Capitol

The Basilica of Saint Mary in the Capitol features a massive triple-apsed trefoil choir that towers over the surrounding Altstadt rooftops. Built on the foundations of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, the church remains the largest Romanesque structure in Cologne. Ida, a daughter of the count palatine, founded this monastery in the eleventh century. She once traveled all the way to Rome to secure the building's ground plan, modeling its layout after the Church of Saint Mary in Trastevere.