Regensburger Dom St. Peter

This cathedral has such a cool name!

Western Facade of the Regensburger Dom

It can be called either Regensburger Dom or Dom St. Peter. Lately I have just been mashing the two names together so I do not forget either aspect of the place. This cathedral, in contrast to St. Jakob down the street, is built in the Gothic architectural style. Its towers rise above the town and dominate the skyline from almost any angle.

Regensburger Dom was built and rebuilt over the centuries, a small church was built around 700, and the towers were erected in the 1860s so it is difficult to pin down a specific date of construction. Despite this range of dates, it is considered one of the best examples of Gothic architecture in Bavaria. The high ceilings with the ribbed vaulting are particular to this period, as well as the cruciform (cross-shaped) floor plan. At the foot of the cross in the entrance to the building (usually in the west), and in the cross-sections are other entrances, more seating, and occasionally other smaller chapels venerating a particular saint. At the head of the cross, usually the eastern end of the church, are the altar and possibly smaller altars. However, Regensburg does not have the characteristic rose window on the western façade, though it makes up for this with many other stained glass windows.

Interior of Regensburger Dom showing ribbed vaulting and high columns. 

Like St. Jakob, the inside was dark, so dark in fact, that I could not immediately read the pamphlet; I had to let my eyes adjust. The English pamphlet was not what I would call useful. It provided a label for the most iconic statuary and some of the artwork, but did not explain any further. Not being intimately related to the scores of Catholic saints, I found myself wondering what these people did to obtain sainthood. I also wondered whom they had buried in the floor under the bronze plates, and why those people were significant. It was not easy to wander around a near dark Cathedral without stepping on (and thereby desecrating) in ground tombs. Not to worry though, Joe and I managed to leave the church without invoking the vengeance of long dead saints and dignitaries.

Apse of Regensburger Dom

A particular feature I found most interesting was the high altar in the eastern nave. The altar appeared silver and was the most brightly lit object inside. Furthermore, it was framed by the stained glass windows of the apse, naturally drawing the eyes toward it.

Back outside, I decided to take some pictures of the western façade against the (lately rare) blue sky. When glancing up at the northern tower I noticed all the statuary was missing. It is probably out for cleaning or repairs, but it was very unusual to see gaps in the architecture where things were missing.

Missing Statuary On the Northern Tower of the Western Facade

From this realization, we studied the southern tower to make a comparison, trying to see what we were missing, but we came to realize that the south tower did not have as many intricate carvings as the north. The statues were not missing; they were never there to begin with! It is very interesting to look at a non-symmetrical church, and for that streak of OCD inside me, it is slightly infuriating.