Mainz Cathedral Mainz, Germany

Overview

Above the roofs of the half-timbered houses in the Old Town of Mainz rise the six towers of St. Martin's Cathedral (German: Mainzer Dom). Along with the cathedrals of Worms and Speyer, Mainz Cathedral represents the high point of Romanesque cathedral architecture in Germany.

History

The Cathedral of Mainz dates from 975 AD but was continually rebuilt and restored, reaching its present form mainly in the 13th and 14th centuries.

It was at Mainz Cathedral on March 27, 1188, that Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I (Frederick Barbarossa), took up the Cross in the Third Crusade called by Pope Gregory VIII.

During World War II, Allied bombing of Mainz destoryed 80% of the city, but the cathedral was left almost entirely unharmed.

Description

Below the largest dome, a combination of Romanesque and Baroque styles, is the transept, separating the west chancel from the nave and smaller east chancel.

Many of the supporting pillars along the aisles of the nave are decorated with carved and painted statues of French and German saints.

The cathedral's Diocesan Museum houses a collection of religious art. In it are exhibitions of reliquaries and medieval sculpture, including works by the Master of Naumburg.

In the 1,000-year-old cathedral crypt is a contemporary gold reliquary of the saints of Mainz. Among the most impressive furnishings in the sanctuary are rococo choir stalls and an early-14th-century pewter baptismal font.