St. Gereon's Basilica is one of the ancient sites of the city of Cologne. Its history dates back to IV century. During this period it was built quite powerful building, located on one of the mounds. Historians believe that the Basilica acquired its name in honor of one of the soldiers of the Theban legion Gereon Cologne.

As the structure of the church is described in the V century, when the city was ruled by the Merovingian. Then the basil was considered a large church in the entire eastern part of the empire. There is an opinion that it was the burial place for some of the Frankish kings. The first bishop of the city of Cologne and was buried in the Basilica of St. Gereon.

In the first half of the IX century, the church became the monastery, in 1069 to build out its building long chorus, and the side of the tower and a new crypt. Two centuries later the nave of the building is covered with an oval dome of impressive size, his height was about 34, 5 meters. The appearance of the temple, finally established in the XIII century, has survived to the present day.

In 1920, the church of St. Gereon received the status of Minor Basilica. During the Second World War the building suffered greatly, but subsequently carried out restoration works ended only in 1984. This church is considered to be a truly outstanding sacral building combines both Romanesque and late classical architecture. Inside the church you can see frescoes, preserved to this day, among them there is the image of the Last Judgment, Gereon and other soldiers of the Theban Legion, as well as tapestries 1765, displaying highlights from the life of St. Joseph.