St. Maria ad Gradus

St. Maria ad Gradus is the name of a former church located East of the Cathedral of Cologne, Germany, situated between the cathedral and the Rhine.

Founded by Herman II, Archbishop of Cologne, the church was the burial site of blessed Richeza of Lotharingia, a former Queen of Poland and a grandchild of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife Theophanu. The Romanesque building, 55m long and 42m wide, was probably completed by Archbishop Anno II in 1075, when the relics of St. Agilulfus of Cologne were transferred there. Already in 1080 it burned down, but was rebuilt in 1085 and later expanded.The remains of Richeza and others were later translated to the cathedral, which had been begun in 1248. Konrad von Hochstaden was canon of St. Maria ad Gradus and Archbishop of Cologne at this time, from 1238 to 1261.