Limburg Cathedral

Limburg Cathedral
The Cathedral of St George
Limburger Dom
The cathedral towering the city
Location	Limburg
Country	Germany
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founded	1200
Consecrated	1235
Architecture
Status	Active
Functional status	Cathedral
Style	Romanesque
Specifications
Bells	9
Administration
Archdiocese	Archdiocese of Cologne
Diocese	Diocese of Limburg
Province	Province of Cologne

Limburg Cathedral and old town in spring 2014

The Catholic Cathedral of Limburg, also known as Georgsdom or Limburger Dom in German after its dedication to Saint George, is located above the old town of Limburg in Hesse, Germany. It is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limburg. Its high location on a rock above the Lahn provides its visibility from far away. The building is one of the most perfect buildings of the late Romanesque style.

History

The first church on the "Limburger Rock" was built in 910 by Konrad Kurzbold. Inside today's cathedral, the outline of the former church still can be found.

The date of placing the foundation stone is unknown. However, investigations of the wood used inside the Dom give information about the period in which it was built. According to estimates, construction began about 1200, maybe as early as 1190. The consecration was in 1235 by Theoderich von Wied, the archbishop of Trier.

The church of St. Georg was upraised in 1827 to be the Cathedral of the new diocese of Limburg. The first bishop of Limburg was Jakob Brand (1827 to 1833). The diocese has currently about 700,000 Catholics and is one of the younger dioceses. On Friday, February 2, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the age-related resignation of former bishop Franz Kamphaus. Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was named new bishop on November 28, 2007, and took office on January 20, 2008. He was suspended on 23 October 2013, the administrator of the diocese has been general vicar Wolfgang Rösch.

Architecture

The central nave towards east.

The Limburger Dom on the reverse side of a 1000 DM banknote.

The polychrome external plaster of the Dom, consisting of white, red, ochre, black and some green, has been restored from 1968 to 1972 following original remains, which had been removed during restoration works in 1872 to 1873. This explains, why the Dom has been portrayed in rock-colour after that time.

The outside measures 54.5 m long, with a width of 35.4 m; rather moderate for a cathedral. Yet, the structure is richly divided and it has seven spires. The seven is a symbol for the sacraments. The tallest are the towers on the West side with a height of 37 m which form a distinct "twin-tower façade". But in fact they are double-towers, because they are different in details.

Such twin-tower facades are often found in the Rhineland, for example in Xanten, Andernach or Koblenz. The most eye catching stylistic element is a huge round window, revolved by eight small rosettes, which makes the West front a clear centre. The rosette symbolises the four Evangelists. Despite the existing symmetry of the twin-towers, there are rich variations in forms, constructions such as round or pointed arches pilaster strips, small pillars, archivolts, windows and blind arches.

The sharp "crossing tower" overtops all other spires with a height of 66 m and forms the centre of the building.

In the inside of the Dom (nave and choir) the unornamented buttress are striking, whose abutments of the vaults span to the ceiling. Inside the aisle galleries, additional struts are hidden. The relatively simple interior is shaped by its narrow but high central nave.

West facade with the double towers

Bells

(Note: This section still needs to be translated into English)

No.	Name	Casting year	Caster, Gussort	Ø (mm)	Gewicht (kg)	Nominal (HT-1/16)	Läuteordnung (solistisch)
1	Georg	1906	Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock, Gescher	1910	4466	a0 ±0	Vorläuten/Wandlung Hochfest, Tod Papst/Bischof/Domgeistlicher
2	Salvator	1949		1600	2534	c1 –2	Sterbestunde Jesu (fr. 15 Uhr), Vorläuten/Wandlung Sonntag
3	Maria			1410	1734	d1 –1	Angelusläuten 18 Uhr, Vorläuten Fastenpredigt
4	Josef			1240	1137	e1 –2	Vorläuten Josefsfest
5	Konrad Kurzbold			1170	998	f1 –2	Angelusläuten 7/12 Uhr
6	Nikolaus			1030	648	g1 –2	Nikolaus-Komplet, Priesterdonnerstag
7	Bernhard	1906		910	468	a1 +1	–
8	Sterm	1200–1250	unbekannt	1031	570	g1 +2/–2	Werktag Karwoche
9	Uhrglocke	1447		673	~260	es2 –7	Taufhandlung

See also

• Saint George: Devotions, traditions and prayers

External links

• History and facts about the Limburg cathedral
• The Ecclesiologist, by Cambridge Camden Society, Ecclesiological Society
• Remarks on church architecture, by John Louis Petit