🏰 Bamberg Cathedral
Germany
About This Sacred Site
Bamberg Cathedral is a masterpiece of the transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture, with four impressive towers dominating the medieval townscape. The cathedral is renowned for the Bamberg Horseman (Bamberger Reiter), a 13th-century equestrian statue of unknown identity that is one of the most famous sculptures of the Middle Ages. It contains the tomb of Pope Clement II, the only papal burial north of the Alps. The cathedral also houses the tombs of Emperor Henry II and his wife Cunigunde, both canonized saints, in a magnificent sarcophagus carved by Tilman Riemenschneider.
Key Facts
- •Part of the UNESCO World Heritage town of Bamberg since 1993
- •Contains the only papal tomb north of the Alps (Pope Clement II, d. 1047)
- •The Bamberg Horseman (c. 1235) is one of the most famous medieval sculptures
- •The Riemenschneider tomb of Henry II and Cunigunde is a masterpiece of late-Gothic carving
- •The cathedral has four towers, giving it a distinctive profile on Bamberg's skyline
Location
Coordinates: 49.8917, 10.8831
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