Kim Richards

Dom St. Rupert: Salzburg Cathedral

 

This church was originally built in 774 a.d by St. Virgil overtop foundations used by St. Rupert. St. Rupert’s relics were moved here at that time. The building structure was damaged by fire and replaced in the 1200’s but burned down from a lightning strike in 1598. The remains were demolished and the current baroque style built by Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich. It took him seven years to complete and he was overthrown near the end.  I had to laugh—they sent him to the ‘dungeon’ which are luxury apartments within the cathedral.

 

Only the dome was damaged during World War II but was restored in 1959 (when the bronze doors were also added). I hear you can see excavations of the old Romanesque style structure foundation stones in the crypt but we did not get to see that.

 

Inside, this is marble and gold everywhere you look. It has a 4,000 pipe organ; a statue of the Virgin Mary dated from 1771.

 

The Romanesque font at the back is supposed to have witnessed Mozart’s baptism. His composition, Coronation Mass, was written for this cathedral and performed here for the first time. We did visit Mozart’s family home but were not allowed photos.

 

The pictures of this cathedral do no justice to the beauty of the paintings and delicacy in the altar lace detail. I love how they paint and gild the ceilings. You can stand underneath and turn in a circle, seeing new things with each movement.

 

The pictures are here: http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m203/sharrisselva/Germany%20trip/April%2017%202008/