Regensburg Cathedral

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Cathedral of St. Peter, Regensburg, west facade

Cathedral of St. Peter, south facade (before the towers were cleaned in 2005)

The Regensburg Cathedral of Saint Peter (Regensburger Dom) is the most important church of the City of Regensburg and cathedral of the Diocese of Regensburg. The church is the prime example of Gothic architecture in southern Germany.

1 Dimensions
2 History
3 The building
4 Significance
5 Gallery
6 External links
7 References

[edit] Dimensions


overall length (interior):		86 m
width (interior):		34.8 m
height (nave):		32 m
height (bell towers):		105 m

[edit] 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-high 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.

[edit] The building

An unusual feature of Regensburg Cathedral is its separation from the structure of the older cloister. This separation came about when the church was rebuilt and displaced to the southwest of the earlier Romanesque cathedral.

In testimony of that Romanesque 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 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 (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.

Judensau at the Cathedral of St. Peter (1250-1520) in Regensburg (June 2004)

The All Saints' Chapel in the cathedral cloister was built in 1164 as a burial chapel for Bishop Hartwig II by the Comaschi, a family of master builders from Como in northern Italy. 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 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 preached from the stone pulpit in the central nave in 1556-1557.

[edit] 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 ("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.

[edit] Gallery

west facade in 2003, with the right tower spire still covered by scaffolding (see history)	window	window	Regensburg Cathedral, viewed from the Stone Bridge
Cathedral of St. Peter, south side	Cathedral of St. Peter, above the Danube (view from the Stone Bridge, facing south)