St. Gereon has a highly irregular plan, the nave being covered by a decagonal oval dome, 21.0 m long and 16.9 m wide, completed in 1227 on the remains of Roman walls, which are still visible.[3] It is the largest dome built in the West between the erection of the Hagia Sophia in the 6th century and the Duomo of Florence in the 15th century.[4]
Ernst Seifert built an organ there in 1898.[5] In the 20th century, the architect Andreas Dilthey worked on its interior.[6]
Archaeological excavation has revealed the presence of an earlier structure from the fourth century, possibly a funerary building that was converted into a church by the sixth century.[7] This original church was perhaps called the church of the Golden Saints (ad sanctos aureos) by Gregory of Tours.[8]
^Ristow, S. (2007). Frühes Christentum im Rheinland. Die Zeugnisse der archäeologischen und historischen Quellen an Rhein, Maas und Mosel. Cologne. pp. 116–122.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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