Salzburg Cathedral (
Dom zu Salzburg) is located on the south side of the
Salzach River in the old part of
Salzburg,
Austria.
The cathedral dominates this area of Salzburg with its central green
dome and two towers, each capped with their own smaller green dome.
The cathedral faces west onto
Domplatz and is situated between
Residenzplatz to the north and
Kapitelplatz to the south.
The cathedral is in early Baroque style and the interior of the cathedral pays true homage to the term baroque with heavily ornamented altars, tombs and other fixtures, many of which have brightly coloured paintings of biblical scenes.
The ceiling and walls of the cathedral are adorned by dozens and dozens of painted panels depicting yet more biblical scenes.
The many windows of the cathedral ensure that interior is well illuminated when the sun and the clouds cooperate.
Dom zu Salzburg is definitely one of the "must see" sights in Salzburg.
Interesting/Important Dates
Construction of the original
cathedral began under the direction of
Bishop Virgil in
767.
On September 24,
774, the cathedral was
consecrated to
Saint Rupert of Salzburg and
Saint Virgil.
The cathedral and much of the surrounding city were destroyed by fire in 1167 (the fire was set by the Counts of Plain, followers of Emperor Friedrick Barbarossa).
The catbedral was rebuilt over the course of the next decade by Archbishop Conrad III of Wittelsbach.
The cathedral was damaged by fire on December 11, 1598.
Archbishop Wolf Dietrich destroyed the remains of the old cathedral and began to plan a new cathedral on the site.
Unfortunately, Wolf Dietrich ended up a prisoner in Hohensalzburg Fortress as a result of a dispute over salt mining rights with Bavaria.
Dietrich's successor, Archbishop Markus Sittikus, commissioned Santino Solari to architect a new cathedral (Solari's tomb in the nearby graveyard is definitely worth seeing).
Sittikus died in 1619 so it was left to his successor, Archbishop Paris Lodron, to consecrate the new cathedral
on September 25, 1628 during the height of the Thirty Years' War.
The new cathedral was the first early Baroque cathedral north of the Alps.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptised in the cathedral in 1756.
The cathedral's dome was destroyed during a bombing raid on October 16, 1944.
Following repairs to the cathedral, it was reconsecrated in 1959 by Archbishop Andreas Rohracher.