Paderborn Cathedral
Paderborn Cathedral | |
---|---|
The Cathedral of Saint Mary, Saint Kilian and Saint Liborius | |
Paderborner Dom | |
Archdiocese of Paderborn | |
Clergy | |
Archbishop | Hans-Josef Becker |
Paderborn Cathedral (
History
Previous structures
Today's cathedral is located in a position that has been occupied by churches for hundreds of years.
The second bishop,
The current cathedral
In the 13th century, the cathedral was reconstructed, not due to damage but to bring it up to then current artistic and ecclesial standards. Construction likely began at the western end of the building (late Romanesque basilika, before 1220). The nave followed in the form of a hall church (i.e. with three aisles all reaching to the height of the central roof) in early Gothic style. It was completed in the late 13th century with High Gothic elements.[1]: 11
In the 17th century, Prince-Bishops Dietrich Adolf von der Recke (1601-1661) and Ferdinand von Fürstenberg (1626–1683) replaced the Gothic interior features with Baroque artworks.[1]: 11
In 1930, the Diocese of Paderborn was promoted to
Repeated Allied bombing of Paderborn in 1945 resulted in severe damage to the cathedral and the loss of irreplaceable works of art, including all the historic glass windows.[1]: 13 On 22 March 1945, fourteen people were killed by a blockbuster bomb in the cloister.[1]: 36
Reconstruction took until the 1950s. From 1978 to 1981, a major restoration was undertaken.[1]: 13
Architecture
External dimensions
- Length: 104 m
- Width: 52 m
- Height: 28 m
- Height of the western tower: 93 m[1]: 13
Points of interest
- Paradiesportal (Paradise Portal), from the first third of the 13th century. It combines late Romanesque and early Gothic statuary.[1]: 15
- Pietà, from around 1360, probably made in Hesse.[1]: 23–4
- Alabaster relief showing the veneration of the Magi, made in Nottingham c. 1360.[1]: 24
- Doppelmadonna (Double Madonna), hanging from the ceiling in the nave, from round 1480.[1]: 23
- Reliquienrentabel, the former Gothic high altar (made circa 1420 from light sandstone and designed to hold the St. Libori reliquary shrine, which was stolen in the Thirty Years' War) was replaced in the 17th century by a Baroque high altar (destroyed 1945). It is now once again located in the cathedral's choir.[1]: 25–6
- Tomb of Bishop Rotho (in office 1036–51), circa 1460.[1]: 31
- Margarethenaltar, the only remaining medieval wooden retable, painted by Gert van Loon (c. 1465–1521).[1]: 17
- Tomb of Prince-Bishop Dietrich IV von Fürstenberg (d. 1618), a Mannerist work made of black and white stone, rising almost 18 m.[1]: 19
- Pulpit in Régence style, white and gold (1736), gifted on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the translation of Saint Liborius.[1]: 23
- The baptismal font dates only from 1924, but the Mannerist screen surrounding it is from the 17th century.[1]: 17
Crypt
The
Window of Three Hares (Dreihasenfenster)
One of the cathedral's, and the city's, most recognisable features is the Dreihasenfenster ("Window of Three Hares"). It depicts three hares in motion, arranged in a triangle. Each hare is shown as having two ears, although only three ears are visible in total. The original 16th century carving can be found in the cloister's inner courtyard, and has been duplicated on numerous buildings and a number of shops throughout the city centre.
Burials
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Niggemeyer, Margarete (2012). Der Hohe Dom zu Paderborn (German). Metropolitankapitel Paderborn.
- ^ The Place of Byzantium in the Medieval World, Steve Runciman, The Cambridge Medieval History, Vol. IV., Part II, ed. J.M. Hussey, (Cambridge University Press, 1967), 361.
- ^ Krijna Nelly Ciggaar, Western Travellers to Constantinople: The West and Byzantium, 962-1204, (E.J. Brill, 1996), 208.
Further reading
- Bauer, Heinz, and Hohmann, Friedrich Gerhard, 1987 (1968): Der Dom zu Paderborn. Bonifatius-Druckerei, Paderborn, 4th revised edition 1987, 1st edition 1968. ISBN 3-87088-529-7.
- Lobbedey, Uwe, 1984: Der Dom zu Paderborn (Westfälische Kunststätten, Heft 33). Bonifatius-Druckerei, Paderborn 1984. ISBN 3-87088-423-1.
- Lobbedey, Uwe, 1990: Der Paderborner Dom (Westfälische Kunst). München/Berlin 1990
- Niggemeyer, Margarete, 1996: Bilder und Botschaften – Der Dom zu Paderborn als Sehschule des Glaubens. Paderborn: Bonifatius-Druckerei. ISBN 3-87088-881-4.
External links
- Virtueller Rundgang durch den Paderborner Dom
- Virtual tour of Paderborn Cathedral (in German)
- Paderborn City website: Cathedral (in German)
- Paderborn City website: Eine „Hasengeschichte“ [Story of the Hares] (PDF; 213 kB) (in German)
- Church service regulation[permanent dead link] (in German)