Worms Cathedral, Worms, Germany

The Cathedral of St. Peter (Wormser Dom, Worms Cathedral) is a basilica with four round towers, two large domes, and a choir at each end. The interior is built in red sandstone. Today, the Wormser Dom is a Catholic parish church, honoured with the title of 'Minor Basilica'.

Only the ground plan and the lower part of the western towers belong to the original building consecrated in 1110. The remainder was mostly finished by 1181, but the west choir and the vaulting were built in the 13th century, the elaborate south portal was added in the 14th century, and the central dome has been rebuilt.

The ornamentation of the older parts is simple; even the more elaborate later forms show no high development of workmanship. Unique sculptures depicting salvation stories appear above the Gothic-era south doorway. The baptismal font contains five remarkable stone reliefs from the late 15th century. The church's original windows were destroyed by bombing in 1943; between 1965 to 1995 Mainz artist Alois Plum crafted new windows.

The cathedral has three bells, all of which are housed in the southeast tower. They were cast in 1947 by Albert Junker to replace the old peal of four bells destroyed in World War II.

References:

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User Reviews

Marie Elena Cortes (2 years ago)
Lots of history and loved the chapel with colorful stain glass! I was impressed with the thumbs for public view in the bottom floor!

Michael C (3 years ago)
Dom St. Peter is the number 1 tourist attraction of Worms. Though you can find many similar cathedrals across Germany or Europe and neither is it the grandest one, I like it due to its few special features. First, it is the shape of the high towers. They are cylindrical rather than the commonly seen rectangular. The stained glasses, not the ones showing religious stories or holy figures but the plain ones, are lovely. Together with some of the stone and wood cravings displayed inside, it made my visit pleasant and tranquillizing though I am not a religious person.

Pavel D. (3 years ago)
Quite a stunning medieval structure! Even though the smallest out of Rhenish imperial cathedrals (Mainz, Speyer and Worms) it certainly does not lack any beauty to its counterparts. Also the youngest among them, built with red colored bricks around the year 1130, this cathedral is a dominant of Worms. However, finding a great overview of the cathedral from the outside turned out to be a rather difficult task. The west end, also the front of the cathedral was under construction (there is also an entrance to the premises of the cathedral that was closed) and the whole north part of Schlossplatz was covered by tribunes for a musical event. The best views can be appreciated from the south side - the park area with an iron miniature of the cathedral - where the entrance is located. The little rose garden, left to the entrance, is decent, but not really well maintained. The inner parts resemble many other cathedrals around Germany, however I find the main nave quite different, the ambience there is pure and simple. Miniature model of the complex is on display in one of the transept, stained glass windows are to be admired throughout the cathedral and a gorgeous high altar is a great masterpiece. I also enjoyed the gothic reliefs from the abandoned cloisters hanging on the walls. Unfortunately there is not a possibility to enter any of its four towers, however the tiny crypt is available for exploration. A small souvenir stall is located inside the cathedral, offering, apart from postcards and memorabilia, informative English brochures for a 50 cents donation. Worth to visit while in town, visited in August 2022.

Hailey Smart (3 years ago)
I was so excited to explore and just be I. The same city as this church. The architecture and history here is just stunning. Every area is very detailed and since being built around 1120 it has been maintained and kept in impeccable shape. I would suggest seeing this church. And don’t forget to check out the street filled with monuments and statues of some of the most important figures of the cathedrals/cities history.

Odil Ermatov (3 years ago)
Absolutely stunning building! It is just incredible. Much bigger and older then most of other famous buildings in this category. Recommend to visit.

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Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

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