Germany



Regensburg


St Peter’s, Regensburg Cathedral





 

Summary Saint Paul’s Cathedral also known as Ragensburg Cathedral is an excellent example of Gothic architecture.  The building itself is a development of a church constructed in the 8th-century. It was renovated in the 17th-century in the Baroque style and in the 19th-century when it got its Gothic appearance.  The cathedral still contains some of the features, windows and statues dating from the 13th-century.

  Regensburg Cathedral, also known as St. Peter’s Cathedral, is a fine example of Gothic architecture and has its roots back in the 8th-century, when around the year 700 a church was built on a site to the west of where the current cathedral stands. This was part of the Niedermünster Abbey, which at the height of its power was one of the wealthiest and most influential in Bavaria. After the original town cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1273, work on the current building began, and parts of it were in use by 1320 following the completion of the three choirs. Although, throughout its history, the building had to be rebuilt several times due to fires.

In the 17th century, the cathedral, underwent a series of renovations in the Baroque style. Between 1828 and 1841 the cathedral received a Neo-Gothic renovation which resulted in the demolition of the cupola and its replacement with a quadripartite rib vault. Between 1859 and 1869, the two towers as well as their spires were constructed, each of which is nearly 350 feet (106 m) high with all work being complete by 1872. 

During the course of renovation work, many of the frescos in the All Saints Chapel, which was built in 1140 as a burial chapel in the cathedral cloister, were concealed by being plastered over.  These were uncovered during work carried out in the 19th century. 

The cathedral is approached towards the main west entrance, which was completed by 1415. This displays some of the finest exterior sculptural ornamentation from medieval times and include arches and canopies and illustrates biblical scenes, creatures as well as saints and kings.

 

On entry visitors are struck with the size of the nave which stretches before them to a height of 32 m (105 feet).  The interior of the cathedral is 85 m (279 ft) in length with a width of 35 m (115 ft). The floor plan of the interior is simple and compact.

Each of the three portals from the western façade lead into one of the three aisles. The one on the left, the north aisle, leads to the Altar of St. Ursula. The centre one is the nave.

 

The right hand or south aisle leads down to the Sailer Chapel which occupies the southern area next to the chancel and contains the Nativity Altar.   This chapel is set aside for private prayer. It is named for the tomb of Regensburg Bishop Johann Michael von Sailer (1751-1832), who was the tutor of King Ludwig I (r. 1825 -1848). In 1837, in honour of his former tutor, King Ludwig named the chapel. The canopied Nativity Altar in the chapel dates from c.1415-20.

 

There are several altars in the side aisles although these are not located in a side chapel but in small niches.

 

The silver high altar stems from Augsburg artists and is a significant feature of the cathedral. It was built during the period of 1695 and 1785, although precise details of its construction are not known.

 

The interior contains many statues many of which are of St Peter, to whom the cathedral is dedicated, with the statue in the south aisle attracting attention. St Peter is always recognizable by the oversized key he carries.

 

Two other statues worthy of a mention were completed in 1280, one is the angel Gabriel, and one is of Mary, mother of Jesus. Mary's right hand is slightly raised while her left hand holds a book.
 

Prior to the installation of a new organ in 2009, the cathedral organ was hidden behind the high altar as Ludwick I had forbitten the altar to be fixed to the wall as he believed that would be a distraction from the building’s architecture.  To get around the fact that the new organ was a 37-ton pipe organ with 80 stops/registers, and a total of 5871 pipes and that it couldn’t be fixed to the wall, it was suspended on four steel cables fixed into a steel structure above the vaulting.

Around the sides of the cathedral are a number of medieval stained-glass windows, created from 1300 to 1370.  These depict the apostles and saints and the life of the Virgin Mary as well as scenes from the legend of St Catherine.  A small, low gallery runs around the interior walls, which blocks the lower parts of the windows. 

 


The west windows date from the 19th century and ones in the clerestory, north chancel, and south transept were installed in 1967-68.

 

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