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St. Mary's Cathedral Hildesheim
The 11th-century cathedral stands on the site of a basilica built under Louis the Pious, the founder of Hildesheim. Several items from the time the church was built have been preserved, which today attract particular attention:
A candelabrum depicting the “heavenly Jerusalem”, a bronze gate and a bishop’s column. In the inner courtyard of the cathedral, you can see the “thousand-year-old” rosebushes, which are said to be associated with the history of the city’s foundation.
The cathedral museum also houses numerous exhibits from the 11th century, such as the crosier, the crucifix, the candlestick, and other objects of historical value.
The cathedral was given its present form in 1066 and was almost completely rebuilt after the Second World War. The famous bronze doors with bas-reliefs from 1015, the four-metre-high Christ the Redeemer column from 1020, and the wheel-shaped chandelier. The cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One cathedral relic is a rose bush over a thousand years old and growing in the inner courtyard. There is also a museum on the grounds with a collection of religious art. These are locations 14, 15, and 16 on the Rose Route.
According to legend, a miracle involving the relics on the rosebush prompted Emperor Louis the Pious to build a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary on this site as early as 815. Bronze casts from this period are world-famous, such as the Bernward Gate, the Christ Column, and two magnificent chandeliers. The garden next to the church is enormous and lovely in the fall.
It is an excellent reconstruction of this very early church. Important early works of Christian art are shown in all their splendor. The bronze doors are gorgeous. It is a tremendous historic cathedral, older than Hildesheim itself, which is probably why Hildesheim is there.
The cathedral is a World Heritage Site and a must-see on your Hildesheim city tour. Following the 1000th anniversary of the cathedral’s construction and the associated reconstruction, the interior of the cathedral is once again worth a visit. The crypt and the inner courtyard with its 1,000-year-old rosebush are now freely accessible again. Admission is now free.
