A cathedral and an attached monastery existed in Würzburg as early as the 8th Century, presumably built by the city's first bishop, Burchard. On July 8, 752, Burchard transferred the relics of Kilian and his companions Totnan and Colman to the cathedral. The skulls of these three saints are still kept in the High Altar of the cathedral.[2]
The cathedral was destroyed by fire and rebuilt twice (in 787 and 855). The third and present cathedral was built from 1040 onwards by Bishop Bruno. After Bruno's accidental death in 1045, his successor Adalbero completed the building in 1075. Due to several rebuildings, notably after 1133, the cathedral was only consecrated in 1187. It retains its Romanesque cruciform layout to this day.
The interior of the Cathedral (1904)
The cathedral school attached to the cathedral and run by the Würzburg cathedral chapter was one of the most important cathedral schools in the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages, along with those of Liège and Worms.
The side aisles were remodeled in a late Gothic style around 1500. A baroque renovation began in 1627, and continued through the century. In particular, numerous pieces of valuable Baroque art were created for the Cathedral's altars. The stuccoist Pietro Magno decorated the cathedral in Baroquestucco work in 1701-04.[3]: 42
In 1721-34, Balthasar Neumann built the burial chapel for the Schönborn bishops, north of the transept. Around the foot of the eastern tower, he also added a Baroque vestry and Ornatkammer (1749).[3]: 42
Additional Romanesque Revival changes made to the western façade and towers in 1879-85 (see picture of the cathedral in 1904) were removed after 1946.[3]: 42
The Cathedral was heavily damaged in the bombing of Würzburg. Much of the interior was irreparably damaged. Large portions of the building, especially the nave, collapsed in the winter of 1946, almost a year after the bombing. Reconstruction was completed in 1967, in the course of which some Baroque components were removed in favour of a re-Romanisation. In particular, the collapsed nave was rebuilt unadorned, with a flat wooden roof, providing a marked contrast to the surviving baroque stucco in the rest of the building. Over the course of the renovation, the Romanesque Revival west front with its rose window, tripartite gallery, and clock niche were covered by a plain stone wall. The west front was once again revealed after a 2006 renovation. The choir was redesigned in 1988.[3]: 42
Double crypt. The eastern part dates from 1040 and contains the tomb of Bruno. The western one (12th century) was demolished around 1700 but rebuilt after 1962. It features an old well, the tomb of Conrad of Querfurt and the oldest piece of art of the cathedral: a bearded face which may be Carolingean or even Merovingian in origin.[3]: 44
Burial chapel/Sepulture: Like the chapter hall above, the Gothic structure was destroyed in the bombing raids but has been rebuilt.[3]: 44 It now contains a cycle of stained glass by Georg Meistermann.[4]
37. Bishop Conrad von Bibra (d. 1544; bronze plate; there is no mitre on the head of this figure, as although a bishop, this man was not consecrated as a priest)
The cathedral today has 20 bells, with a total combined weight of 26 tons.
The largest is the Salvator Bell with a diameter of 2.3 m and weighing in at 10 tons.[3]: 44 Of the old bells only the Lobdeburg Bell, by Cunradus Citewar of Würzburg, the most prominent bellfounder of his time, dates from 1257. Because it was taken down in 1933 and stored in the crypt, it is the only ancient bell of the cathedral to have survived the firestorm caused by the bombing of 16 March 1945. It now hangs in the south-west tower and is rung every Friday at 3:00 p.m., to mark the hour of the death of Jesus Christ.
All the other bells melted and the liquid metal ran down into the basement of the towers, where the stored cathedral treasure was destroyed.[3]: 44
Kuhn, Rudolf, 1968: Großer Führer durch Würzburgs Dom und Neumünster: mit Neumünster-Kreuzgang und Walthergrab
Der Dom zu Würzburg (English Edition) Schnell, Art Guide No 232 (of 1982); Second English edition 1991, Verlag Schnell & Steiner GMBH, Munich and Zurich
