Erfurt Cathedral (, officially Hohe Domkirche St. Marien zu Erfurt,Official website, retrieved 15 June 2018 English: Cathedral Church of St Mary at Erfurt), also known as St Mary's Cathedral, is the largest and oldest church building in the Thuringian city of Erfurt, central Germany. It is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erfurt. The cathedral was mainly built in the International Gothic style and is located on a hillside overlooking the main town square (, Cathedral Square),Stade, Heinz, et al. (2015) Erfurt: eine Stadt in Wandel, Leipzig: Edition Leipzig directly next to St Severus' Church. As a unique architectural ensemble, both churches together form the city's landmark. Former German names include and .
History The site of the present cathedral has been the location of many other Christian buildings, for example a Romanesque basilica and a church hall. In 742, Saint Boniface erected a church on the mound where Erfurt Cathedral is now sited. In the mid-12th century, the foundations of the original church were used for a Romanesque basilica. In the early 14th century, the mound was enlarged to make room for St Mary's Cathedral.Christoph Engels, (2010) '1000 Sacred Places', Tandem Verlag GmbH, p 55
In 1184 it was the site of the Erfurt latrine disaster when a floor collapsed during an assembly summoned by Henry VI, King of Germany. About 60 people, including many nobles, drowned in the liquid excrement underneath.
Martin Luther was ordained in the cathedral on 3 April 1507.Lull, Timothy, Nelson, Derek (2015) Resilient Reformer: The life and thought of Martin Luther, Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress
Architecture The architecture of Erfurt Cathedral is mainly Gothic and originates from the 14th and 15th centuries. The building has many notable architectural features, including the stained glass windows and the interior furnishings. The central spire of the cathedral's three towers houses the Maria Gloriosa which, at the time of its casting by Geert van Wou in 1497, was the world's largest free-swinging bell. It is the largest surviving medieval bell in the world. It is known for the purity of its tone.
Relics and treasures The cathedral houses many rare and rich furnishings and sculptures, including the tomb of the supposedly bigamous Count von Gleichen, accompanied by both of his wives, a stucco altar from around 1160, a bronze candelabra called Erfurter Wolfram, the oldest free standing cast work in Germany, and, out on the portal, statues of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.
Bells The cathedral has a total of 16 bells including 3 bourdon bells, distributed across various bell towers and turrets. 12 of which are use for pealing.
The supporting foundation consists of the six largest bells, including the largest bell or bourdon Gloriosa, which is housed in the lower belfry of the central tower. The official name of the bourdon is actually Maria Gloriosa, although it is also known simply as the Erfurt Bell.
Since its complete restoration in 2004, the bourdon has been used judiciously, primarily for reasons of historic preservation. According to the ringing schedule, it rings mainly on major church holidays. Although its sound surpasses all other bells, its unique tonal spectrum can only be truly experienced when it rings alone. When the Gloriosa is rung, it is always the first bell in Erfurt to be rung. All other Erfurt church bells join in its peal at a later time.
The 2nd and 3rd bourdon bells Trinity and the Joseph respectively are the remnants of a five-bell peal, whose destroyed bells were recast in 1961 by bell founder Franz Peter Schilling in Apolda, using the same tones and retaining their names.
The two clock bells, Martha (for the full hours) and Elisabeth (for the quarter hours), were cast with a shortened rib and are rigidly suspended in the lantern of the central tower. Next to them is the consecration bell, which until 2009 rang in the roof turret; today, together with the small quarter-hour bell, it is located in the central tower and, installed on the old tower clock below the Gloriosa, strikes the hours. No. Name(German)Name(English) Year Caster Diameter Mass Strike tone Bell location 1 Maria Gloriosa (Bourdon) Maria Gloriosa1497 Gerhardus de Wou, Erfurt 2,560 11,450 e0 +3 Middle Tower, lower 2 Dreifaltigkeit (2nd Bourdon) Trinity1721 Nicolaus Jonas Sorber 1,940 4,900 g0 +12 North tower 3 Joseph (3rd Bourdon) Joseph1961 Glockengießerei Schilling, Apolda 1,840 4,600 a0 +8 South Tower 4 Andreas Andreas1961 Glockengießerei Schilling, Apolda 1,540 2,600 c1 +11 North Tower 5 Christophorus Christophorus1961 Glockengießerei Schilling, Apolda 1,360 1,900 d1 +10 South Tower 6 Johannes Baptist John the Baptist1720 Nicolaus Jonas Sorber 1,190 1,000 e1 +7 7 Cosmas und Damian Cosmas and Damian1625 Jakob König, Erfurt 750 200 des2 Middle Tower, upper 8 Cantabona Cantabona1492 Hans Sinderam 650 300 g2 9 Engelchen Little angelabout 1475 Claus von Mühlhausen, Erfurt 550 125 as2 10 Namenlose Nameless1475 Meister Peter 500 75 b2 11 Wandlungsglocke Paul's Bell1961 Glockengießerei Schilling, Apolda 550 100 f2 12 Paulusglocke Paul2009 Br. Michael Reuter, Maria Laach 390 42 d3
See also St. Augustine's Monastery (Erfurt) Predigerkirche (Erfurt) Architecture of cathedrals and great churches
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