Bamberg Cathedral
| Bamberg Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St George | |
| Bamberger Dom | |
Bamberg Cathedral
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| 49°53′27″N 10°52′57″E / 49.89083°N 10.88250°ECoordinates: 49°53′27″N 10°52′57″E / 49.89083°N 10.88250°E | |
| Location | Bamberg |
| Country | Germany |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Website of the Cathedral |
| History | |
| Founded | 1002 |
| Founder(s) | Heinrich II (Henry II) |
| Consecrated | 6 May 1012 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Functional status | Metropolitan Cathedral, Minor Basilica |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Completed | 1012 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 94 metres |
| Width | 28 metres |
| Height | 26 metres |
| Number of spires | 4 |
| Spire height | 81 metres |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Bamberg |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Ludwig Schick |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv |
| Designated | 1993 (17th session) |
| Reference no. | 624 |
| State Party | Germany |
| Region | Europe and North America |
The Bamberg Cathedral (German: Bamberger Dom, official name Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St. Georg) is a church in Bamberg, Germany, completed in the 13th century. The cathedral is under the administration of the Roman Catholic Church and is the seat of the Archbishop of Bamberg. Since 1993, the cathedral has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Town of Bamberg".
It was founded in 1002 by King (and later Emperor) Heinrich II (Henry II) and consecrated in 1012. After the first two cathedrals burned down in the 11th and 12th centuries, the current structure, a late Romanesque building with four large towers, was built in the 13th century.
The cathedral is about 94 m long, 28 m broad, 26 m high, and the four towers are each about 81 m high. It contains many works of art, including the marble tomb of the founder and his wife, the Empress Kunigunde, considered a masterpiece of the sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider, and carved between 1499 and 1513.
Another well-known treasure of the cathedral is an equestrian statue known as the Bamberg Horseman (German: Der Bamberger Reiter). This statue, possibly depicting the Hungarian king Stephen I, most likely dates to the period from 1225 to 1237.
Heinrich (Henry), son of Heinrich der Zänker became Duke of Bavaria in 995, replacing his banished father. His favourite dwelling was at Bamberg and he gave that property (probably in spring 1000) to his wife Kunigunde as a wedding gift. In 1002, Heinrich was elected King of Germany and he started to conduct his government business from Bamberg, giving the town various privileges (mint, tolls, market rights). Probably late in 1002 the decision was made to establish a diocese at Bamberg. Henry was pious, he and his wife had no children whom to leave the property to and the eastern border of his kingdom still lacked a diocese. Against the opposition of the Bishop of Eichstätt, who lost the northern rim of his territory, and of the Bishop of Würzburg, who lost all of the eastern part of his, the Reichssynode of All Saints' Day 1007 at Frankfurt established the Diocese of Bamberg. The Hochstift was endowed with royal territories, notably around Bamberg and near Villach. Kunigunde contributed Bamberg itself. The first bishop (1007–40) was Eberhard von Abenberg, Heinrich's former chancellor. He took his home in the former Königspfalz. In 1007/1020 the diocese came under the direct authority of the pope, and was thus henceforth outside of the control of the Archbishop of Mainz. King Heinrich (he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor only in 1014) became a canon of the cathedral chapter.
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