Click the Brandenburg Flag for a German translation Für eine deutsche Übersetzung dieser Seite einfach die Brandenburger Flagge anklicken

Vacation 2016 August 29, Bamberg Bamberg Cathedral

Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg

Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg

The ensemble at Cathedral Hill is the center part of the Bamberg World Heritage Site. It consists of the Old Court, the New Residence, and the Cathedral.

The Bamberg Cathedral, officially the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George, celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 2012. The cathedral was dedicated on May 4, 1012. Its founder, King Henry II, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1014. There are nine cathedrals in Germany and Italy directly linked to Holy Roman Emperors - these churches are dedicated as Imperial Cathedrals (Kaiserdom in German). The original building - called Henry's Cathedral - was destroyed in two fires in 1081 and 1185. Work on a new cathedral, called Ekbert's Cathedral, started around 1190. A significant change of the architectural style took place in the middle of the reconstruction, around 1209. As a result, the southern part of the Cathedral (in the picture left) has been built in the rather simple Romanesque style while the northern part (in the picture right) was finished in the much more filigree Gothic style.

The only piece remaining from the original Henry Cathedral are the Cathedral Toads - two stone lions guarding the main gate. Fire, wind and and rain have eroded them so much that they now really look more like toads than lions. There is an urban legend about the toads and how they came to be.

Above the cathedral's gate is a Papal Seal, indicating that the cathedral had been granted the title of Basilica Minor. The gate (above left) is adorned by six statues. To the left are Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr and the founders of the Cathedral, Henry II and his wife Cunigunde. To the right are Saint Peter, Adam, and Eve. The statue of Eve was the first life-sized statue of a naked woman since the end of Classical Antiquity. Considering that such sculptures were not widely accepted until the dawn of Renaissance, this one is 500 years ahead of its time. Below: one of the most impressive pieces of art inside the Cathedral is the Riemenschneider-Altar, the center piece of which it believed to have been done by famous sculptor and woodcarver Tilman Riemenschneider.

Another world famous statue, dating back to the 13th century is the Bamberg Horseman. The horse is carved wearing horse shoes, making this the oldest known statue showing a shoed horse. Since the artist and the precise date are lost in history, the identity of the horse man is shrouded in mystery. Based on the symbolism of the statue, most researchers agree that it shows King Saint Stephen of Hungary.

Throughout the Romanesque and Gothic epochs, baldachins above people were only used for Catholic Saints. And in medieval Germany, horsemen in general were associated with the Hungarians. There is also a legend that King Stephen during his first visit to Bamberg - before his conversion to Christianity - rode his horse right into the cathedral.

The same unknown artist who created the Horseman is also believed to have created the cover of the tomb of pope Clement II, who was burried in the cathedral in 1047. The tomb of Clement II is the only existing grave of a pope located north of the Alps. The most famous piece of art, however, is the tomb of the imperial couple Henry and Cunigunde.

King Henry II, who ordered the construction of the cathedral was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 1014. He died in 1024 and was buried in the cathedral. His wife, Cunigunde of Luxembourg died in 1040 and was put to rest next to her husband in a magnificent tomb. Henry and Cunigunde are the only German royals that are Saints of the Catholic faith. They were canonized in 1146 and 1200, respectively.

The tomb was later adorned with reliefs (above), carved by Sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider between 1499 and 1513. Wikipedia has a detailed description of the reliefs, unfortunately only in German. Looking from the cathedral to the New Residence (left) and the Old Court (right), we continued our tour.

Click the left turn sign to get back to the beginning of our Bamberg tour. Or click the right turn signal to move on to New Residence and Old Court (right).

Back to Germany Trip 2016

Back to Germany Trips

Back to English Main Page

Back to Start Page