Description of the attraction
The construction of the Mainz Cathedral began in 975 at the initiative of Archbishop Willigis, and ended mainly in 1239. Construction work dragged on for more than two and a half centuries due to several large fires. Holy Roman Emperors Henry II, Konrad II and Frederick II were crowned in this building.
The imposing central tower of the cathedral and both of its side towers were designed in the Baroque style by Ignaz Michael Neumann in 1767-1773. The massive bronze doors on the north side of the cathedral date back to around 1000.
The interior of the cathedral is striking: two choirs of huge sizes - one of the Romanesque era, the other of a later period; along the central nave - frescoes depicting the life of Jesus Christ; near the columns are the gravestones of the Mainz archbishops, including the late Gothic tombstone by Hans Bacofren on the grave of Archbishop Jacob von Liebenstein, who died in 1508. On the right is the cloister with a fountain. Magnificent oak rococo armchairs, created by Franz Anton Hermann in 1767, surround the altar.
