Paderborn Cathedral

The first patron of Paderborn and the bishopric was Saint Liborius. His relics were transferred in 836 by the emperor of the Frankish state, Louis the Pious , from France, from the city of Le Mans, to Paderborn. After the return of the monks sent to France, who brought the remains of the saint, in Paderborn annually in July is celebrated the "holiday of Liboria." Other saints to whom the cathedral is dedicated are the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Kilian.

The main buildings of the cathedral, which we can see, were erected in the XIII century. Especially characteristic for the architecture of that time was the Western Tower, designed in the Romanesque style (beginning of the 13th century), 93 meters high and towering above the central part of Paderborn. The length of the cathedral is 104 meters, width - 53 meters, the height of the cathedral hall - 28 meters. In the cathedral crypt 32 meters long, one of the largest in Germany, the holy relics of St. Liborius. The cathedral has a prototype of the early Gothic church buildings in western France, which have become typical projects for the construction of Christian churches in Westphalia (as well as French Gothic plastic for decorating the cathedrals). While the tower was built in the Romanesque style, all five large windows - despite the length of construction - are carved from stone with grace of Gothic shapes and proportions. In the following centuries, various completions and improvements were made, which generally did not affect the general appearance of the building. First of all, this concerns the restoration in the Baroque style of the looted and spoiled parts of the cathedral during the Thirty Years War, and after 1945 - the destruction resulting from the bombing.

To the north of the present cathedral, the Carlsburg fortress was built in 776, where after the meeting of Charlemagne and Pope Leo III in 799, the Paderborn bishopric was founded. The cathedral complex also includes the chapel of St. Bartholomew, consecrated in 1017, is the oldest surviving north of the Alps. The cathedral itself stands on two sources - Dilenpader and Rotoborpader , two of seven that form the Pader River (which gave the city its name).

One of the attractions of the cathedral is the so-called. The “Three Hares Window”, created at the beginning of the 16th century from red sandstone brought from the shores of the Weser. Its stained glass window depicts three rabbits galloping in a circle, crosswise positioned relative to each other. As a result of a certain optical illusion in the image, the hares have only three ears for three, and at the same time, we see two of them in each of them. This is explained verbatim in the following explanatory poem: Der Hasen und der Löffel drei, und doch hat jeder Hase zwei. The “Three Hares Window” is one of the symbols of the city of Paderborn and a talisman for its inhabitants.

Of the internal buildings of the cathedral, the earliest are the Central (Paradise) portal (until 1240), the sculptural Pieta (c. 1380), the Gothic altar of the late 15th century, as well as the Double Madonna (circa 1480).

A total of 4 choirs were created in the cathedral; the oldest of them, founded by Bishop Hatumar, dates back no later than 806. The latter was created in 1981 by Theodor Holthof, and developed into one of the region’s most famous music choirs. In 2007, Schola Gregoriana was formed from the male voices of the cathedral choir, in which 12 voices are engaged in the performance of Gregorian choirs. Since 2008, 110 girls and girls aged 7 to 20 years have been singing in the Dome Choir.

The organ of the Paderborn Cathedral, with 151 registries, is the third largest among the church organs of Germany. It consists of three parts manufactured in 1981 by Westfälischer Orgelbau S. Sauer in Höckster, in 2004-2005 it was improved. The tower body with its 81 registers is the main one. The lowest sounds he creates are not perceived by the human ear. The choral organ has 53 registers and a warm, calm sound. The crypt organ with its 15 registers is the smallest. Created in 1971 by Anton Faith Jr., finalized in 2005.

Until 1886, on the Western tower of the Cathedral were two of the most valuable ancient bells made in the XIII century - Clara and Gloria . Then they were destroyed. The bells currently in use were cast after World War II. These are six steel bells from 1951 and two bronze small ones. The main bell of the cathedral - the steel Bell of Liborius - has the lowest sound of all the bells of Paderborn. It is also one of the heaviest bells in Germany.

•   Paderborn Cathedral : Themed Media Files on Wikimedia Commons

• Heinz Bauer, Friedrich Gerhard Hohmann: Der Dom zu Paderborn . Bonifatius-Druckerei, Paderborn, 4., überarbeitete Auflage 1987, 1. Auflage 1968, ISBN 3-87088-529-7 .
• Uwe Lobbedey: Der Dom zu Paderborn (Westfälische Kunststätten, Heft 33). Bonifatius-Druckerei, Paderborn 1984, ISBN 3-87088-423-1 .
• Uwe Lobbedey: Der Paderborner Dom (Westfälische Kunst). München / Berlin 1990
• Margarete Niggemeyer: Bilder und Botschaften - Der Dom zu Paderborn als Sehschule des Glaubens . Bonifatius-Druckerei, Paderborn 1996, ISBN 3-87088-881-4 .
• Bernhard Elbers: Wiederaufbau des Hohen Domes zu Paderborn 1945-1949 und die Geschichte der Dombauhütte . Metropolitankapitel Paderborn (ed.), Paderborn 1995.