Freiburg Minster ( or ) is the cathedral of

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

, southwest

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The last duke of Zähringen had started the building around 1200 in romanesque style. The construction continued in 1230 in Gothic style. The minster was partly built on the foundations of an original church that had been there from the beginning of Freiburg, in 1120. In the Middle Ages, Freiburg lay in the

Diocese of Konstanz The Prince-Bishopric of Constance () was a small ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the mid-12th century until its secularisation in 1802–1803. In his dual capacity as prince and as bishop, the prince-bishop also admini ...

. In 1827, Freiburg Minster became the seat of the newly established Catholic Archdiocese of Freiburg, and thus a cathedral.

Architecture

The Swiss historian

Jacob Burckhardt Carl Jacob Christoph Burckhardt (; ; 25 May 1818 – 8 August 1897) was a Swiss historian of art and culture and an influential figure in the historiography of both fields. His best known work is '' The Civilization of the Renaissance in ...

once said that the church's 116-meter tower ''will forever remain the most beautiful spire on earth''. The tower is nearly square at the base, and at its centre is the dodecagonal star gallery. Above this gallery, the tower is octagonal and tapered, and above this, is the spire. It is the only Gothic church tower in Germany that was completed in the Middle Ages (1330), and has lasted until the present, surviving the bombing raids of November 1944, which destroyed all of the houses on the west and north side of the market. The tower was subject to severe vibration at the time, and its survival of these vibrations is attributed to its lead anchors, which connect the sections of the spire. The windows had been taken out of the spire at the time by church staff led by Monsignor Max Fauler, and so these also suffered no damage. Freiburg Minster was not the seat of a bishop until 1827, long after it was built. The tower has 16 bells, the oldest being the "Hosanna" bell from 1258, which weighs 3,290 kilograms. This bell can be heard on Thursday evening after the

Angelus FIle:Jean-François Millet (II) 001.jpg, ''The Angelus (painting), The Angelus'' (1857–1859) by Jean-François Millet The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation (Christianity), Incarnation of Jesus ...

, on Friday at 11:00 am (a time consequently known as "Spätzleglocke"), on Saturday evenings, and each year on 27 November in remembrance of the air raid.

Interior

There are two important altars inside the cathedral: the high altar of Hans Baldung, and another altar of

Hans Holbein the Younger Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; ; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a German-Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He ...

in a side chapel. ''See also: Freiburg Altarpiece'' The inner portal contains sculptures of the Ten Virgins. The nave windows were donated by the

guilds A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

, and the symbols of the guilds are featured on them. The deep red color in some of the windows is not the result of a dye, but instead the result of a suspension of solid gold

nanoparticle A nanoparticle or ultrafine particle is a particle of matter 1 to 100 nanometres (nm) in diameter. The term is sometimes used for larger particles, up to 500 nm, or fibers and tubes that are less than 100 nm in only two directions. At ...

s. In 2003, the Lenten cloth was restored and backed with a supporting material. It now weighs over a ton, and so must be carried from the workshop with heavy machinery for its use during

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

Bells

The cathedral holds 19 bells, altogether 25 tonnes, making it one of the largest peals in Germany.

Burials

* Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen *The Locherer family (altarpiece by Hans Sixt)

Conservation

For the conservation of the cathedral, the '' Freiburger Münsterbauverein'' ("Freiburg Minster-Upkeep Association") was established. The association invests several million euros each year in the care and maintenance of the building and its interior.

Gallery

File:Freiburg Münster Hochaltar 01.jpg, High altar File:Freiburg Münster rechtes Seitenschiff Märtyrerfenster 01.jpg, Martyrs' Window File:00 0743 Freiburg Minster - Hahnenturm.jpg, Hahnen tower File:Freiburg-Gargoyles Freiburg Minster-men and mythical creature-12ASD.jpg, Exterior view File:Freiburg-Gargoyles Freiburg Minster-ram-04ASD.jpg, Ram-like creature as gargoyle File:Freiburg-Freiburg Minster-Exterior-Gargoyles-03ASD.jpg, Gargoyles File:High altar of Freiburg Minster Hochaltar (geschlossen) von Hans Baldung Grien.jpg, High altar File:Freiburg Minster-front hall-sculptures-01ESD.jpg, Entrance hall File:Tympanum Freiburger Münster.jpg, Tympanum Freiburger Münster

External links

Cathedral windows

References

{{Authority control Roman Catholic cathedrals in Baden-Württemberg Minster Gothic architecture in Germany Tourist attractions in Freiburg im Breisgau Burial sites of the House of Zähringen