  For the first time an excess of photons above an energy threshold of 730 GeV
from the giant radio galaxy M87 has been measured at a significance level above
4 sigma. The data have been taken during the years 1998 and 1999 with the HEGRA
stereoscopic system of 5 imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The excess
of 107.4 +- 26.8 events above 730 GeV corresponds to an integral flux of 3.3%
of the Crab flux or N_gamma(E > 730 GeV) = (0.96 +- 0.23) * 10^(-12)
phot.cm^(-2)s^(-1). M87 is located at the center of the Virgo cluster of
galaxies at a relatively small redshift of z = 0.00436 and is a promising
candidate among the class of giant radio galaxies for the emission of TeV
gamma-radiation. The detection of TeV gamma-rays from M87 -- if confirmed --
would establish a new class of extragalactic source in this energy regime since
all other AGN detected to date at TeV energies are BL Lac type objects.
