Der Hohe Dom zu Mainz or MartinsDom

Mainz Cathedral or St. Martin’s Cathedral is located in the pedestrianised market square in the historical centre of the city. It is the seat of the Bishop of Mainz in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz – a suffragan diocese of the province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Freiburg.

The cathedral was founded around 975 or 976 by Mainz Archbishop Willigis. At that time the city of Mainz was flourishing, so he ordered the building of a new cathedral in the pre-Romanesque Ottonian architectural style. On it’s inauguration day in 1009, the cathedral suffered extensive damage due to a fire. Archbishop Bardo presided over the completion of the cathedral with the main portions being finished by 1037.

A feature of many important churches that were built in the Holy Roman Empire between the 9th and 12th centuries were that they had a choir at either end of the nave. Mainz Cathedral was no exception. The main chancel was usually built at the eastern end however, Willigis designed his cathedral with it being in the west.

Over the centuries the cathedral has suffered damage through fire and war and has had many renovations and additions made to the original Romanesque structure. We can see the Gothic style in the chapels and bell towers and the roof is Baroque. The most recent restorations have occurred in the last 80 years following damage sustained during World War II when the cathedral was hit by bombs.