The church was originally founded by the Franciscan Order in 1250 and built of fieldstone. What is now the ruin of the Franciscan monastery church began construction at the end of the 13th century, when the Margrave of Brandenburg donated the site to the monks.

The church, with its Gothic architectural style, stood out from the other churches in what was then a twin city, Berlin and Cölln. The church was a three-aisled basilica church with a two-nave choir.

Although the nave has an almost square floor plan, the church appears quite narrow. Its spaciousness comes from the high walls and small pointed windows at the top.

The choral polygon at the end of the church joins the monastery and is illuminated by tall, pointed windows. The polygon has since been an inspiration for other Franciscan churches in Brandenburg and the Stettin area.

The Franciscan order was dissolved in 1539 when Berlin became Protestant, and the monastery was converted into a high school.

Over the centuries, the church has been renovated several times and undergone minor alterations. The floor has been lowered, one church tower demolished, and two new ones built.

But it was on April 3, 1945, that the church met its final fate when it was hit during one of the Allied air raids.

Today, the ruin of the Franciscan monastery church stands as a double reminder of medieval Berlin and World War II, with the TV tower as a backdrop.

If you want to shoot a photo of the TV tower from a slightly different angle, walk ten minutes from Alexanderplatz to the monastery ruin and take your picture there instead.