Brixen Cathedral general view from Domplatz

The Cathedral of Brixen (, ) is a

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

in the city of

Brixen Brixen (; , ; or , ) is a town and communes of Italy, commune in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography Brixen is the third-largest city and oldest town in the province, with a population of nearly twenty-three t ...

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

, Italy. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to

Cassian of Imola Cassian, or Saint Cassian of Imola, or Cassius was a Christianity, Christian saint of the 4th century. His feast day is August 13. Life Little is known about his life, although the traditional accounts converge on some of the details of his mar ...

. Since the foundation it has been the

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

of the Diocese of Brixen. In 1964, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bolzano-Brixen was created, and the see was moved to

Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...

. The cathedral currently has the status of

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

. The cathedral is known since the 980s.Ludwig Tavernier (2006). ''Das Domstift Brixen.'' In Hannes Obermair et al. ''Dom- und Kollegiatstifte in der Region Tirol-Südtirol-Trentino in Mittelalter und Neuzeit: Collegialità ecclesiastica nella regione trentino-tirolese dal medioevo all'età moderna'' (= Schlern-Schriften 329). Wagner, Innsbruck 2006, , pp. 101–48. The original building was

Ottonian The Ottonian dynasty () was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman emperors, especially Otto the Great. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin in the German stem du ...

. By 1174, it was rebuilt in the

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

, as the three-nave basilica as well as the two towers were completed. In 1745–54 it was further rebuilt in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style. The frescoes depicting the Adoration of the Lamb (1748–50) are by

Paul Troger Paul Troger (30 October 1698 – 20 July 1762) was an Austrian painter, draughtsman, and printmaker of the late Baroque period. Troger's illusionistic ceiling paintings in fresco are notable for their dramatic vitality of movement and their pale ...

, and the main altar is by Theodor Benedetti. There is also a Gothic statue of the Virgin by

Hans Leinberger Hans Leinberger, sometimes given as Lemberger (c.1475/1480 – after 1531) was a Late Gothic sculptor from Altbayern, who worked in wood, metal and stone. Life and work His exact birthplace is unknown, as is the place and manner of his arti ...

. The

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

was made in 1980 by

Orgelbau Pirchner Orgelbau Pirchner is an Austrian manufacturer of pipe organs, located in Steinach am Brenner, Tyrol (state), Tirol. History The company was founded in 1817 by Franz Reinisch in Gries am Brenner, http://orgeln.musikland-tirol.at/ob/Reinisch-Jose ...

. A cloister next to the cathedral is covered with Romanesque and Gothic frescoes.

References

{{coord, 46.71588, 11.65768, format=dms, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title Brixen Churches in South Tyrol

External links

Official website