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The venerable gothic Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, a church of "apostolic majesty" and profound historic importance, has been one of the very few great churches in the German lands to be elevated to the status of "Kaiserdom" or Imperial Cathedral. For centuries - from 1356 until 1792 - it served as the church for the election and and after 1562 the coronation of all German Emperors. The cathedral was begun in 1248 with a reconstruction to replace that of the Carolingian Salvator Church of 840, but was not completed until over 600 years later, in 1877. In that year, 10 years after a fire severely damaged the church, the tower, one of the most unique and beautiful steeples in Europe, was completed according to the plans of its medieval master architect, Madern Gertner.
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Western Europe
