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Regensburg Cathedral

 
Regensburg Cathedral

 
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Regensburg Cathedral
 
 
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circa 700 First bishop's church built at the site of the present-day cathedral parish church Niedermünster (St.






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he Regensburg Cathedral , dedicated to St Peter, is the most important church and landmark of the city Regensburg
Regensburg

Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen River rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube....
, and cathedral
Cathedral

A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop. It is a Religion building for worship, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Roman Catholic Church, Anglicanism, Orthodox Christian and some Lutheranism churches, which serves as a bishop's seat, and thus as the central church of a dioc...
 of the Diocese of Regensburg
Diocese of Regensburg

The Diocese of Regensburg is a diocese of the Catholic Church seated in Regensburg. Its district covers parts of northeastern Bavaria; it is subordinate to the archbishop of Munich and Freising....
. The church is the prime example of Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late Middle Ages. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
 in southern Germany
Southern Germany

The term Southern Germany is used to describe a region in the south of Germany. There is no specific boundary to the region, but it usually includes Bavaria, Baden-W?rttemberg, and the southern part of Hesse....
.

Dimensions

overall length (interior): 86 m
Metre

The metre or meter is a Unit of measurement of length. It is the SI base unit of length in the metric system and in the International System of Units , used around the world for general and scientific purposes....
width (interior): 34.8 m
height (nave
Nave

In Romanesque architecture and Gothic architecture Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and Church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar....
):		 32 m
height (bell tower
Bell tower

A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more Bell s, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells....
s):		 105 m


History


circa 700 First bishop's church built at the site of the present-day cathedral parish church Niedermünster (St. Erhard's tomb).
circa 739 Canonical erection of the diocese by Saint Boniface. He chose the area of the Porta Praetoria (North Gate of the old Roman fort) for the bishop's seat, and the site of the cathedral has remained there since.
late 8th or 9th century The Carolingian Cathedral is rebuilt.
early 11th century Large expansion to the west with an approx. 15-meter-wide transept, two towers and an atrium.
1156/1172 The cathedral burns down twice and is rebuilt.
1273 Beginning of reconstruction at the west end after a city fire (approximately 1150) destroyed the old cathedral.
circa 1285/90 High Gothic redesign.
circa 1320 The three choirs of the new cathedral are ready for use. Demolition of the old cathedral.
1385-1415 Completion of the elaborate main entrance to the west.
1442 Construction of the roof support over the central nave.
circa 1520 Preliminary end of construction work.
1514-1538 Construction of the cloister.
1613-1649 Restoration of the cathedral and baroque renovation (cupola at the transept crossing).
1828-1841 Gothic restoration at the order of King Ludwig I (e.g., relocation of the baroque frescoes) and demolition of the cupola; it is replaced by a quadripartite rib vault.
1859-1869 Construction of the towers and completion of their spires.
1870/1872 Completion of the cathedral with the finishing of the transept gable and the spire (at the crossing) after 600 years of construction.
1923 Founding of the state-run Dombauhütte (Cathedral building workshop) for the ongoing oversight, maintenance, and restoration of the cathedral.
1984-1985 Construction of the crypt mausoleum and archeological exploration of the center nave (partial exposure of a former southern arcade entrance to the atrium of a precursor Roman structure)
1985-1988 Cleaning of the interior without changes.
since 1989 Cleaning of the exterior facade; removal of contaminants. The work on the main portal is expected to end in 2006.
2004 Construction and altar consecration of the Sailer meditation chapel.
2005 Cleaning of the tower spires is completed, so that the towers can be admired in their pristine state. According to the Dombauhütte, they should remain so for the next century.
2006 Completion of the west portal restoration before the planned visit of Pope Benedict XVI.


The building


An unusual feature of Regensburg Cathedral is its separation from the structure of the older cloister
Cloister

A cloister is a covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that face a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church usually indicates that it is part of a monastic foundation....
. This separation came about when the church was rebuilt and displaced to the southwest of the earlier Romanesque cathedral.

In testimony of that Romanesque
Romanesque architecture

Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which evolved into the Gothic architecture style beginning in the 12th century....
 precursor, the Eselsturm tower still stands on the north side of the cathedral; it was used in the past and is still used to transport construction materials to the upper levels. A pulley remains in the west loft, and with it materials were lifted through an opening in the ceiling near the west portal. To the east of the cathedral is the state-run Dombauhütte (cathedral building workshop) which is responsible for the preservation of the structure. In contrast with many cathedral building works, neither modern machines nor exclusively old tools are used. Rather, tools are manufactured in the workshop itself.

The Erminold Maria is one element of an Annunciation group in the Regensburg Cathedral. It goes back to the so-called Erminoldmeister, who carved and colorfully painted the figure of Mary and the famous laughing figure of the angel Gabriel
Gabriel

In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an angel who serves as a messenger from God. He first appears in the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible. In some traditions he is regarded as one of the archangels, or as the angel of death....
 about 1280. The figures are juxtaposed to one another on the two western pillars at the crossing of the nave. Mary's right hand is slightly raised toward the angel in greeting. In her left hand she holds a book, into which she is pointing with her index finger.

On the eastern pillars at the crossing are stone figures of Saints Peter and Paul, which were installed in 1320 and 1360-1370 respectively.

On the exterior there is a Judensau
Judensau

Judensau is a derogatory and dehumanizing image of Jews in obscene contact with a large sow , which in Judaism is an unclean animal, that appeared during the 13th century in Germany and some other European countries....
 (Jews' sow) in the form of a sow and three Jews hanging onto its teats. The Judensau faces in the direction of the former Jewish quarter at the Neupfarrplatz. In 2005 there was a controversy about the posting of an informational sign.

Regensburger Dom Judensau 2004
The All Saints' Chapel in the cathedral cloister was built in 1164 as a burial chapel for Bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
 Hartwig II by the Comaschi, a family of master builders from Como
Como

Como is a city in Lombardy, Italy, north of Milan. Situated at the southern tip of the south-west arm of Lake Como, it is the capital of the province of Como and directly borders the Switzerland town of Chiasso....
 in northern Italy
Northern Italy

Northern Italy comprises two areas belonging to Italian NUTS level 1 regions:*North-West : Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria;*North-East : Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/S?dtirol, Emilia-Romagna....
. Its interior consists of a more finely articulated triconchos with frescoes from the time of its construction.

Most of the valuable stained glass windows were installed between 1220-1230 and 1320-1370. The windows of the west facade were only completed in the 19th century. In 1967-1968 came the windows of the left chancel, from the hand of the artist Professor Oberberger. He also produced the Pentecost window in the west of the north transept and the clerestory
Clerestory

Clerestory is an architecture term denoting an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque architecture or Gothic architecture church , the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows....
 windows in Gothic style.

The silver high altar stems from Augsburg artists and was built in the period between 1695 and 1785. A particular feature is the five Gothic altars of reservation. In the south choir a new altar of celebration was built in 2004, the work of Helmut Langhammer.

St. Peter Canisius
Petrus Canisius

Saint Petrus Canisius was an important Jesuit who fought against the spread of Protestantism in Germany, Austria, Bohemia , and Switzerland. The restoration of Catholicism in Germany after the Reformation is attributed to his work....
 preached from the stone pulpit in the central nave in 1556-1557.

Significance

The Regensburg Cathedral is the bishop's church and the principal church of the Regensburg diocese. It is also the home of the Regensburger Domspatzen
Regensburger Domspatzen

The Regensburger Domspatzen is the official choir for the liturgical music at Regensburg Cathedral in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. The choir consists of boys and young men only....
 ("cathedral sparrows"), a choir rich in tradition. The structure is considered the most significant Gothic work in southern Germany.

The Cathedral is also the burial place of important bishops, including Johann Michael von Sailer (1829-1832, memorial built by Konrad Eberhard in the south chancel), Georg Michael Wittmann (1832-1833, memorial also by Konrad Eberhard in the north chancel), and Archbishop Michael Buchberger (1927-1961, likewise in the north chancel). In the western part of the central nave stands a bronze memorial for the Prince-Bishop Cardinal Philipp Wilhelm (d. 1598), the brother of Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria
Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria

Maximilian I, Duke/Elector of Bavaria , called "the Great", was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. His reign was marked by the Thirty Years' War ....
.

Gallery


External links