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FRANKFURT ST BARTHOLOMEW CATHEDRAL
Emperor's Coronation Church and the Dom Museum

Gothic Steeple Frankfurt am main Cathedral photoThe Frankfurter Dom St. Bartholomäus is the gothic era main cathedral of Frankfurt built from about 1356 to 1425. The bustling city known as Germany’s business center rose to prominence in the late middle ages and early Renaissance over-taking nearby Mainz. It was from 1562 to about 1800 that the kings of Germany’s Holy Roman Empire were elected (see Aachen Imperial Cathedral). That particular form of feudal monarchy which brought together all the princes of small dukedoms in a process where the king or emperor (kaiser) was elected by his fellow princes. Not exactly democracy, but a process which kept all the noble families from killing each other, left to fight wars with other royal nation states and lands. That is why the royal personages you’ll find at castles and palaces in the history records, all those Fredericks and Karls are referred to as Electors or Prince Electors.

Interior arches Franfurt Gothic Cathedral photoThe imperial elections college consisting of three Archbishops and four Prince-Electors, principally the Palatine Electors (later more were added) was convened in the Wahlkappel, the chapel on the south side built for these occasions. After a great deal of squabbling, threating and agreements to marry off relatives Holy Roman Emperor was chosen. The coronation of the emperor-elect as king of all of Germany would be held in the main nave of the cathedral with the Kaiser crowned before the central altar, which was claimed to contain the relic of the severed head of St Bartholomew. But as with many such relics hadn’t been seen for some time. The last coronation was in 1792. The last Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II, dissolved the Holy Roman Empire under pressure from Napoleon who swept across the region and made deals with a handful of powerful princes which would pave way for the French soldier to make himself an Emperor.

Frankfurt Cathedral evening photoThe cathedral of St Batholomew Frankfurt am Main is the largest church in the city, though not the oldest, and others in the region are larger and more architecturally significant. The people of Frankfurt refer to it as an imperial church for its role in the imperial story, but generally not considered one of the “Kaiser Doms” the older cathedrals at Mainz (see Mainz Romanesque Cathedral), Speyer (see Speyer Cathedral) and Worms (see Martin Luther at Worms), more important in the early part of the empire.

Tomb Relief Frankfurter Cathedral photoThe Frankfurt Cathedral was nearly destroyed by a fire in 1867, when it was rebuilt in its current form. It also suffered during the heavy bombing of Frankfurt during WWII with the interior badly burnt and reconstructed again in 1950, which gives its high reaching gothic arches a rather clean, pristine and thoroughly recent feeling, with the interior stonework painted red to approximate the original sandstone coloration. The church's interior has some elaborate surviving tombs and coats of arms of the Palatine royal families hung on the walls.

Frankfurt Cathedral Museum

Emperor Crown Frankfurt photoPerhaps most interesting at the Frankfurt Dom is the Cathedral Museum. In a separate entrance from the main cathedral, set up in the former medieval era cloisters the museum at Frankfurt presents artifacts from the history of the cathedral, both as the site of the elections of German Emperor kings, established by the “Golden Bull” of 1356 - not an animal but a document when Emperor Charles IV decreed that Frankfurt and Aachen would be the sole cities of the imperial elections, with all but three held at Frankfurt.

Catholic Vestments Dom Museum photoThe museum has on display the magnificent liturgical vestments of the Roman Catholic Church including the elaborate robes (though Frankfurt never had a Bishop). Most of the museum's exhibits come from the Cathedral's treasure house of gold and silver altar utensils and reliquaries, as well as items found in the discovery of a grave under dating from the 7th Century. The location of the grave is marked by a floor slab just as you enter the Cathedral nave.

Religious Artifacts at Frankfurt Cathedral Museum photoAs you travel about Frankfurt, in souvenir shops and other locations you may see paper hats or other representative images of the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor, one of the symbols of Frankfurt from his days as the coronation seat. While the Frankfurt History Museum is undergoing some reconstruction, in the Cathedral Museum you can view the Imperial Crown, first made for Emperor Otto I in the 10th Century, along with the Orb and Sceptor. These are replicas made in 1913 for a commemoration ceremony before the outcome of WWI permanently did away with the empire. The real imperial jewels are in Vienna (see Imperial Treasure Chamber).

Visiting the Frankfurt Cathedral and Museum

The cathedral is open daily, with active services. The Cathedral museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and weekends 11am to 5pm, Admission is €3. The cathedral is a stop on the Frankfurt tram. Nearby are the roman ruins of Frankfurt’s early days as an outpost on the Roman Empire’s northern border. Surrounding the cathedral is a district of eclectic art stores and galleries in the neighborhood of the Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art and across the street is the Frankfurt Caricature Museum of satirical cartoon art (see Caricatura Museum). © Bargain Travel Europe

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Dom Museum Frankfurt

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See Also:

GOETHE HOUSE & MUSEUM

FRANKFURT SUMMER OF FOOTBALL

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ST PETER AND ALEXANDER  TREASURY

BAROQUE CHURCHES OF MUNICH

MAULBRONN ABBEY

DRESDEN'S OUR LADY FRAUENKIRCHE

CHARLEMAGNE AACHEN 2014