5 Spectacular Churches in Germany

The Palatine Chapel was built on the instigation of the Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne to act as a religious focal point for his imperial capital city of Aachen. Once finished, it represented a fusion of Byzantine, Roman, and Germanic-Franconian styles, and it—and the cathedral that came to encompass it—has since achieved recognition as a masterpiece of Carolingian art, as recognized by its status as a World Heritage site, the first named in Germany. As the UNESCO inscription explains:

With its columns of Greek and Italian marble, its bronze doors, and the largest mosaic of its dome (now destroyed), the Palatine Chapel of Aachen, from its inception, has been perceived as an exceptional artistic creation. It was the first vaulted structure to be built north of the Alps since Antiquity.

During the Carolingian Renaissance, and even at the beginning of the medieval period, it set a precedent for religious architectures. In 805 it was consecrated to serve as the imperial church, and for nearly six centuries between 936 and 1531 it was the coronation site for 30 of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.

Charlemagne collected many relics during his lifetime, and, after his burial in the church in 814, Aachen became a popular site of pilgrimage. In order to accommodate the vast numbers of pilgrims, the church progressively expanded during the Middle Ages, the most significant and beautiful addition being the glass chapel consecrated 600 years after Charlemagne’s death and distinguished by its 13 magnificent windows. Other additions included a vestibule and several adjoining chapels, which all led to the formal designation of the building as Aachen Cathedral in the 15th century.

Unlike many other major buildings in Germany, the cathedral was relatively untouched by the Allied bombing campaign of World War II, and it remains today in its original medieval splendor. (Adrian Gilbert)

The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral was laid in 1248 by Archbishop Konrad of Hochstaden to house the relics of the Magi, plundered from Milan by the Holy Roman emperor Frederick I during the previous century. Although services were being held in the unfinished building by 1265, construction was slow and finally ground to a halt in 1560 with the cathedral only half built. No further construction was carried out until the 19th century when, in 1842, King Frederick William IV of Prussia ordered the continuation of building work based on the surviving medieval plans and drawings, although the roof was to be of modern steel construction.

When finally completed in 1880—632 years after work had begun—Cologne Cathedral was the largest church in Germany. Its prominent double spires were surpassed in height only by the steeple at Ulm. Among the building’s treasures are the gilded sarcophagus of the Magi (claimed to hold their remains), the Milan Madonna (a wooden sculpture from 1290 depicting Mary and Jesus), and the Gero Cross (dating from 970, the largest wooden cross north of the Alps). The cathedral has 12 bells, the oldest dating to 1418. The 24-ton bell of St. Peter (Petersglocke) was cast in 1922.

Although the twin spires and the west face survived the Allied bombing of Cologne during World War II, the cathedral received multiple direct hits that caused severe damage to other sections of the structure. Restoration work was completed by 1956. Cologne Cathedral became a World Heritage site in 1996. (Adrian Gilbert)

Although ecclesiastically a Roman Catholic parish church, St. Bartholomew’s in Frankfurt—with a distinctive rosy glow from its sandstone walls—is known as a cathedral because of its size and importance within Germany. There had been a church on the site since at least the 9th century, although in 1239 it was rededicated to St. Bartholomew after the pope sent the saint’s skull as a holy relic. A major building program was begun that lasted more than 100 years.

In 1415 work on the cathedral culminated in the construction of the great octagonal tower, the work of several experienced architects and builders. But in 1867 a fire swept through St. Bartholomew’s, melting the bells in the tower, the structure of which was also badly damaged. The cathedral was rebuilt using the original medieval designs. St. Bartholomew’s was also hard hit by Allied bombs during World War II, but it was once again rebuilt.

Archeological excavations have revealed graves from the 7th century, and they include the burial site of a Merovingian girl, along with pottery fragments and gold jewelry. Apart from the reliquaries of St. Bartholomew, the cathedral’s treasury contains a fine gold chalice, with engravings in the style of Albrecht Dürer, and a gold monstrance. Other items of interest include Anthony van Dyck’s oil painting The Mourning of Christ as well as more modern works, such as Emil Schumacher’s Prophet Job, painted in 1973. (Adrian Gilbert)

Built in Dresden between 1726 and 1743, the Frauenkirche was a masterpiece of Baroque architecture. As a Lutheran church, it adopted a radical internal configuration that saw the altar, chancel, baptismal font, and organ placed in view of the congregation. The magnificent organ, built by Gottfried Silbermann, was given its first recital by Johann Sebastian Bach. The sandstone dome—known as the “Stone Bell”—dominated the skyline for two centuries, when Dresden was considered to be Germany’s most beautiful city and the Frauenkirche the jewel in the crown.

On February 13, 1945, Anglo-American air forces instigated a massive air offensive against Dresden. The center of the city was almost completely destroyed, and as many as 35,000 people were killed in the ensuing firestorm. (Some estimates range as high as 250,000.) Another casualty was the cathedral itself. Hit repeatedly by high explosive bombs, the dome finally collapsed in on itself on February 15, with the whole cathedral in ruins.

Under the postwar East German communist government, the Frauenkirche was left as a pile of rubble, a stark reminder of the horror of modern warfare. During the 1980s the blackened stones became a symbol of the peace movement, which in other major churches in East Germany coalesced into a civil rights protest that marked a step toward the collapse of communism and the reunification of the two Germanys. Immediately after reunification, it was decided to rebuild the Frauenkirche. Work began in 1993 using original drawings and photographs, and the Frauenkirche was reconsecrated in 2005. (Adrian Gilbert)

There has been a church of some description in Leipzig on the site of the Thomaskirche since the 12th century. The Thomaskirche is most famous for employing Johann Sebastian Bach as its cantor from 1723 to 1750. The church’s boys’ choir, founded in 1212, is one of the oldest and most famous in Germany and continues to give concerts.

Although the church is now Lutheran, it was consecrated as a Roman Catholic church in 1496. The reformer Martin Luther was a frequent visitor to Leipzig because it was one of the most important cities in Saxony, and he preached at the church. When the Catholic ruler of the region, George, duke of Saxony, was succeeded by the Protestant duke Henry IV, Protestantism became the state religion of Saxony. Luther proclaimed the Reformation of Leipzig at the Thomaskirche on May 25, 1539.

Bach arrived in Leipzig as cantor in 1723. In spite of his music, he was relatively underappreciated during his lifetime, and he was buried in an unmarked grave. His remains were not recovered until 1894, and they were interred in the Thomaskirche in 1950. Bach is not the only musician associated with the Thomaskirche. Both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn played the organ there, and Richard Wagner was baptized in the church. (Jacob Field)