Unregelmäßigkeit als Anreiz zur Ordnung oder Impuls zum Chaos. Die virtuose Steinmetzkunst der Pirnaer Marienkirche.

The article discusses the anomalous architecture of a late-Gothic church called the Marienkirche in Pirna, Saxony, Germany. The asymmetrical hall church was constructed over an extended time period in five phases over an irregular parcel of land beginning in the mid-15th century. The construction history and integration of the various stages under the oversight of various builders including Peter Ulrich, Markus Ribisch, and Wolff Blechschmidt is described. The problematics with constructing the vault are reviewed in detail, as is the architectural and decorative interplay between concepts of order and chaos.