St. Stephan's Church

Bamberg, Germany

St. Stephan's Church is built on the most eastern of the seven hills. It has been Bamberg's most important protestant church since 1807.

The original building, which was probably donated by empress Kunigunde, was erected at the same time as Heinrich's Cathedral and was consecrated by Pope Benedict VIII in 1020. Today's church was constructed in two phases in the 17th century and is based on a Greek cross. The choir, built by Giovanni Bonalino in 1628/29, includes elements of the baroque, neo-gothic style. The three other naves, for which Antonio Petrini was responsible, reflect a baroque style, strongly influenced by the renaissance. The works of art span the baroque period to the present day.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1628
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Thirty Years War & Rise of Prussia (Germany)

More Information

en.bamberg.info

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Toralf (12 months ago)
Simple, beautiful church in the heart of Bamberg. It impresses with its simple and elegant furnishings. Definitely worth a visit.
Swetlana Mayer (14 months ago)
Magnificent from the outside, simple and bright from the inside. Especially at Pentecost, the church was wonderfully decorated with green branches. The church certainly cannot be compared with the cathedral, but it is still worth a visit.
František Zimmermann (2 years ago)
A very original church with a long history. The sound is very interesting when playing the organ, the square structure allows you to hear wonderful tones of music. The Stephanskirche in the old town of Bamberg is the only Protestant church that was consecrated by the Pope (Benedict VIII). He was consecrated at Easter 1020 in the presence of Henry II. The monastery was founded in 1007/09 by Bishop Eberhard I of Bamberg, possibly on the instructions of Empress Kunigunda. Today's building was shaped by three construction periods. The oldest part is the tower with a roof from 1698. The choir from 1628 was built by the builder Giovanni Bonalino, the church in the shape of a Greek cross with three additional cross beams by Antonio Petrini in 1678-1681. Petrini preserved the original floor plan from the 11th century.
Alex Bransby (2 years ago)
Pretty church with nice view over town. Bit of a trek to get up to but it’s usually quite quiet compared to other parts of town. Definitely worth checking out if you’re strolling through Bamberg. Lots of very pretty and nice winding old streets around it too!
A.M. G. (2 years ago)
A very beautiful, albeit rather simply kept, formerly Roman Catholic now Evangelical Lutheran town church with a great organ and currently a beautiful, large nativity scene.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Kakesbeck Castle

Kakesbeck is one of the largest medieval fortifications in Münsterland and the oldest castle in Lüdinghausen. The imposingly grown complex originated in 1120 as a motte, a small hilltop tower castle. After numerous changes of ownership, the castle was extended onto two islands, but it was not until the 14th century that it underwent significant alterations and extensions under the von Oer family. The estate experienced its heyday in the middle of the 18th century, when it covered an area of almost one square kilometre and consisted of five further outer castles in addition to the core castle, which were secured by ramparts and moats.

The well-maintained condition of the castle today is thanks to the late Wilfried Grewing, the former lord of the castle. The foundation named after him has been particularly committed to preserving the property since 2020.