  We report performance verification observations of the giant elliptical
galaxy M87 in the Virgo Cluster with the MOS, pn, and optical monitor
instruments on board of XMM-Newton. With the energy sensitive imaging
instruments MOS and pn we obtain the first spatially constrained X-ray spectra
of the nucleus and the jet of the galaxy. The good photon statistics of the pn
and MOS allow a detailed analysis of the radial temperature and abundance
distribution of 6 elements. The data provide no indication of a
multi-temperature structure for radii less than 2 arcmin. An apparent sharp
metal abundance drop deduced for the regions inside this radius is probably due
to resonant line scattering.
