Münster Cathedral, Münster, Germany

Münster Cathedral stands in the heart of the city, on a small hill called Horsteberg. This area, which also contains the Domplatz and surrounding buildings, was the old Domburg. West of the cathedral lies the bishop's palace and part of the old curia complex along with the current cathedral chapter.

The cathedral had two predecessors. The first cathedral (called the Ludgerus Dom, 805-1377) stood to the north of the current cathedral; the second cathedral was built in the tenth or eleventh century and was demolished during the construction of the third and current cathedral between 1225 and 1264. The imposing westwerk with its nearly identical towers was built as part of the second cathedral around 1192 and was incorporated into the current building. As a result, the cathedral is a mixture of styles, combining the Romanesque westwerk, old choir and west towers with the Gothic nave, transepts, high choir and ring of chapels.

Each of the cathedral buildings served as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Munster, but each also had additional functions, at least at times. The original Carolingian cathedral was also the Collegiate church for a cloister founded by Liudger, with the monks living under the rule of Chrodegang. Each cathedral served as a parish church, originally for the whole of Munster. As a result of the foundation of further parish churches, the parish district of the cathedral was reduced to the Old Domburg and Domimmunität in 1090. In the first half of the thirteenth century, the Church of St Jacobi was built on the Domplatz. With the completion of this church, the cathedral, which was then under construction, lost its function as a parish church entirely. Since the demolition of St Jacobi in 1812, the cathedral regained its role as parish church.

The cathedral contains the tomb of the former Bishop of Munster, Clemens August Graf von Galen who became a Cardinal shortly before his death in 1946 and was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Jay Bfn (4 years ago)
Great place filled with rich architecture and a must visit place when in Munster

naples pizza (4 years ago)
Very impressive. Must see the astronomical. Clock behind the alter

HL RFareham (4 years ago)
Interesting church. Free to enter. There was a large saturday market outside

Ben Kilhams (5 years ago)
Very interesting historical place. Read many a book in my teenage years about the role of Munster during the reformation so it was great to see the reality.

Gonz Alin (5 years ago)
It was much much nicer than what I expected. Cathedral is way different to what you always find inside German churches. There are amazing stained-glass windows and sculptures inside, displayed in a sort of artistic way rather than the usual boring-church-style, and together with the astronomical clock and the graveyard, it makes the cathedral a special place. If you're interested in arts and architecture, this place is a must in Münster. On top of that, on weekends a local market takes place in the square next to the Cathedral.

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