Xanten Cathedral

Xanten, Germany

Xanten Cathedral (Xantener Dom) is considered the biggest cathedral between Cologne and the North sea. The cathedral owes its name to Victor of Xanten, a member of the Theban Legion who was supposedly executed in the 4th century in the amphitheater of Castra Vetera for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods. This Roman camp is near today's town of Birten. According to legend, Helena of Constantinople recovered the bones of Victor and his legion and erected a chapel in their honour. During a modern excavation the existence of a 4th-century cella memoriae was discovered; however, it was determined that it had not been erected for Victor but for two other male corpses that were placed in the crypt at a later date.

The cornerstone of the cathedral was laid in 1263 by Friedrich and Konrad von Hochstaden. Construction lasted 281 years and was finally finished with the dedication of the Holy Spirit Chapel in 1544. The cathedral contains a five-aisle nave built in the Gothic style. In contrast to many other cathedrals of the period, St. Victor's lacks an ambulatory. Instead a twin pair of chapels is connected to the choir similar to that seen at the Church of Our Lady in Trier. Along with the monasterial library of the Cathedral houses one of the most important religious libraries of the Lower Rhine.

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Address

Kapitel 19, Xanten, Germany
See all sites in Xanten

Details

Founded: 1263
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Habsburg Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

www.xanten.de
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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St. Andreas Church (53,3 km)
St. Christopher's Cathedral (61,1 km)
Basilica of St. Vitus (52,3 km)
St. Walburgis Church (55,9 km)
Linn Castle (38,7 km)

User Reviews

Rob Lamberts (13 months ago)
Mijn eerste indruk van buiten was toch een wat sombere kerk, maar eenmaal binnen komt een staaltje mooi vakmanschap naar voren. De kerk is erg mooi van binnen en de tuin/begraafplaats binnen in maakt het voor mij helemaal af. De teksten op de bordjes waren naar mijn inziens slecht begrijpbaar voor Nederlanders en mogelijk ook andere landen iets wat onduidelijk. De Dom van Xanten maakt het stadje compleet
Pictures Pauline (14 months ago)
Mooie en gezellige binnenstad. Op het centrumplein was een markt met veel gegadigden.Rondom veel ☕
Nico Alvarez (2 years ago)
Quite an impressive building. Especially for the size of the town of Xanten. The church's architecture is gothic and the religion practiced within the church is Catholicism. I find the access to the church to be quite adventurous; at least if you come walking from the pedestrian alley. The only thing I did not like was the lack of expositions and due to an upcoming mass we were not able to sightsee the church from within
Hein Frohnapfel (4 years ago)
Beautiful window's
Leslie Liu (5 years ago)
Beautiful cathedral in central Xanten.
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