Bonn, cathedral. What is worth seeing in Bonn? Temples and cathedrals in Bonn

Bonn Cathedral, a tall basilica with ideal proportions, built in the Romanesque style and located in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany. The place where the cathedral stands has been considered sacred for 2000 years: first there was a Catholic church, then a Christian church and the tomb of the holy martyrs Cassius and Florence.

The city of Bonn was founded by the Romans as a fortress of Castra Bonnensia in the 1st century AD. e. It survived the collapse of the Roman Empire, becoming a civilian settlement, and in the 9th century turned into the Frankish city of Bonnburg.

Around the year 235, two Roman legionaries Cassius and Florence arrived in Castra Bonnencia and were martyred for their Christian faith. According to tradition, in the 4th century, St. Helena, mother of Constantine I the Great, built a small memorial tomb over their graves. No evidence of this construction has been preserved, however, archaeological excavations have shown that the basilica stands on the site of a Roman temple and necropolis.

In the 6th-7th centuries, the memorial hall was expanded, and many people were buried next to the martyrs, both inside and outside the building. The next expansion took place in the 8th century.

Around 1050, the church was completely destroyed, and construction began on the modern Romanesque building, which dates back to the 11th-13th centuries. By the end of construction, Bonn had already acquired great importance and turned into the capital of the Cologne Archbishopric. The new basilica appeared on the coat of arms of the city. In 1643, Cassius and Florence were officially declared patron saints of the city of Bonn.

The church survived severe damage in 1583-1589, 1689 and during the Second World War, but each time it was completely restored.

In 1956 Bonn Cathedral received the honorary title of Pontifical Minor Basilica.

The cathedral is located in the heart of the city on the Martinsplatz and Münsterplatz squares, not far from the railway station. The temple has five towers: two square towers on the east side, a round central tower 96 meters high and two thin turrets on the west. All are crowned with spiers. The nondescript western part of the cathedral is one of the oldest parts of the basilica, dating back to the 11th century.

In the open area in the eastern part of the basilica lie the large heads of the Roman martyrs Cassius and Florence, the patron saints of Bonn. They were created in 2002 by the sculptor Iskander Yediler, who also owns the sculptures of St. Benno in Munich and St. Gereon in Cologne.

The nave of the basilica dates from 1220 and is a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic elements. It is illuminated through identical contemporary stained glass windows with a colored center and a black and white pattern around the edges.

At the back of the nave (to the west) stands a huge statue of St. Helena, donated by Cardinal Franz Wilhelm von Wartenberg, rector of the Collegiate Church (1629-1661).

Most of interior decoration made in the Baroque or earlier styles. The font belongs to the XII century. In 1966, a small image of Noah's Ark appeared on it. Near the font in the northwestern corner is the image of St. Helena, St. Cassia, St. Florence and panoramas of the city of Bonn (1704).

The south transept contains several contemporary frescoes, including a large depiction of St. Christopher. Also here is the altar of St. John with a relief image of the scene of the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist and John the Evangelist writing the New Testament.

The north transept contains a fresco from 1400 depicting the Three Wise Men (who are said to have stopped to rest near Cologne Cathedral), an equestrian statue of Saint Martin of Tours, and the tomb of Archbishop Ruprecht of Cologne (1463–1478).

In the front (eastern) part of the nave are two large Romanesque sculptures (c. 1200), an angel and a devil. A staircase under the altar leads to an underground chapel where prayers are usually held. Here, on a stone pedestal between the eastern pillars, a shrine with the relics of Cassius and Florence is kept. Behind the closed door is the tomb of the martyrs, the door is opened only on the day of the celebration of these saints, October 10th.

The altar above the chapel dates back to the 11th century; in the 19th century it was decorated with paintings. On the vault at the back of the temple is a fresco of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (c. 1300). The main altar was made in 1865; here you can see sculptures of Saints Cassius, Florence, Martin and Helena.

The mosaic located on the apse was created in Venice in 1894 and is based on the motif of a Byzantine deesis. The mosaic on the windows depicts the creation of the World and dates back to 1951-1952.

The covered gallery, which is accessed by a door in the southwest corner, was built in the 12th century, at the same time the two-story collegiate buildings were added, which are still occupied by the clergy of the basilica.

In the center of the gallery there is a garden with a fountain; dragons, horses, lions and leaves are carved on the vaults in the Romanesque style. The north side of the gallery was demolished in the 13th century to widen the south aisle of the cathedral.

Today I will tell you about our last stop, the city of Bonn, and lay out a walking route through the city, in which you can easily explore the entire city center in just a few hours.

Bonn is a city ancient history, located 20 km away on the banks of the Rhine River and is also part of North Rhine-Westphalia. The population of Bonn is almost 350 thousand, which gives the city the right to occupy the 19th place in terms of the number of inhabitants in all of Germany.

The first known settlement on the site of modern Bonn dates back to 11 BC. Then a camp of the ancient Roman army appeared there and the first fortress was erected - Castra Bonnensia. However, archaeologists believe that there have been settlements in the area for the last 14,000 years.

Most tourists associate Bonn with the composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who was born in this city in 1770. Many sights of the city are directly related to the name and work of Beethoven, but there are several more interesting places in Bonn, many intriguing legends and stories.

This city still has a strong political influence, because for 42 years Bonn was the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. The city lost its status in 1991 when the capital was moved to Berlin and the German government was reunified.

Attractions Bonn

On the map, I have marked for you the sights that I recommend for a walk around Bonn if you are in the city for only a few hours, for example, on the way to or to the airport. As well as a few places worth a look if you have stayed in the city a little longer:

Among other things, the city has a lot of museums: the German Museum, the Beethoven House, the Art Museum, the Alexander Koenig Zoological Research Museum and the Egyptian Museum.

And now I will talk about some of these attractions in more detail.

Bonn Cathedral (Bonner Münster)

The cathedral is open every day from 10 am to 7 pm except Sunday when the cathedral closes at 4 pm.

Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn

As I already said, in this city there are a lot of sights connected directly with the name of this great composer. For starters, I recommend that you take a walk around the Beethoven Monument on the central Münsterplatz square.

Monument to Beethoven

Then walk towards the Beethoven House.

Beethoven House

It was in this house that Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770. The basis of the museum collection is made up of manuscripts, drawings, musical instruments and other memorabilia. One of the most valuable exhibits is Beethoven's last pianoforte.

Today, the Beethoven House owns the largest and most comprehensive collection of Beethoven pieces in the world.

Exact address: Bonngasse 20, 53111
Entrance fee: 6 euros, but there is a family pass (2 adults + children) for 12 euros.
The official website of the museum is beethoven.de

Poppelsdorf Castle and Botanical Garden

Today the castle is used as a faculty of the University of Bonn, but there is also a small mineralogical exhibition in the castle building. Plus, the building itself is under renovation. We walked around it, walked around the Botanical Garden and went to look for some open space for lunch.

I propose to go there old cemetery, because the path there will lie through the campus of the same Bonn University.

It was very interesting to look at how the university building looks like in a foreign sense, to evaluate local student dormitories and the whole area in general. I compared it with the Moscow Aviation Institute, where I spent the first two years of my university life. And the difference is significant!

A few more photos of the walk in Bonn. You will meet these views if you walk along my version of the route for exploring the city.

Bonn, pl. Münsterplatz, 5.

Bonn Cathedral, a tall Romanesque basilica of perfect proportions, is located in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany. The place where the cathedral stands has been considered sacred for 2000 years: first there was a Catholic church, then a Christian church and the tomb of the holy martyrs Cassius and Florence.

In the 6th-7th centuries, the memorial hall was expanded, and many people were buried next to the martyrs, both inside and outside the building. The next expansion took place in the 8th century.

The church survived severe damage in 1583-1589, 1689 and during the Second World War, but each time it was completely restored.

In 1956 Bonn Cathedral received the honorary title of Pontifical Minor Basilica.

At the back of the nave (to the west) stands a huge statue of St. Helena, donated by Cardinal Franz Wilhelm von Wartenberg, rector of the Collegiate Church (1629-1661).

Much of the interior decoration is in Baroque or earlier styles. The font belongs to the XII century. In 1966, a small image of Noah's Ark appeared on it. Near the font in the northwestern corner is the image of St. Helena, St. Cassia, St. Florence and panoramas of the city of Bonn (1704).

The mosaic located on the apse was created in Venice in 1894 and is based on the motif of a Byzantine deesis. The mosaic on the windows depicts the creation of the World and dates back to 1951-1952.

The small old town of Bonn has a long history and is located in the western part of Germany on the Rhine River. This cozy medieval city is known as the birthplace of Beethoven and the former capital of Germany. But temples, cathedrals and mosques in Bonn deserve special attention, the construction of which was carried out in different periods 2000-year history of the city. Some of the churches are built on sites that have long been considered sacred.

Temples and cathedrals in Bonn

For Bonn, as for any German city, during the Middle Ages, temples were an integral, important part of life. Today they have also become the main attractions and monuments of architecture.

The old monastery-basilica of Saint Martin

The famous monastery-basilica of St. Martin is located on the Munster Square (Münsterplatz). It is assumed that more than 2000 years ago, an older Roman shrine existed on the site of the temple (in 1910, a walled stone dedicated to the goddess Diana was found in the altar of the temple).

The basilica was erected on the burial site of two executed (approximately in 235) Roman legionnaires, Christian martyrs Cassius and Florence - the patrons of the city, revered as saints.

As one of the most ancient basilicas in Germany, it was repeatedly rebuilt: in the 6th-7th centuries, the memorial hall was expanded, in 1050 it was completely destroyed, and only in the 13th century found its modern look. In the same period, it became a symbol of the city and is depicted on the coat of arms of Bonn.

Until 2009, the Basilica of St. Martin acted as a religious center for the believing population, and later the building was handed over to the Benedictines and the temple again became a monastery.

Connoisseurs of medieval architecture will be interested in the unusual style of the basilica building with elements of the Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque styles. The building itself has five towers of different heights and shapes.

The three-level apse with a high pediment and a small gallery, framed by two slender towers, later became a model of church building throughout the Rhineland.

In the cathedral you can see a bronze statue of the founder of the temple of St. Helena, dated to the 17th century. The Bonn Basilica is also known for the fact that many kings were crowned there, including King Charles IV of Germany (1346).

To date, the Cathedral of Saints Cassian and Florencius keeps such valuable artifacts as an old altar, unusual stained glass windows, beautiful sculptural compositions and wooden decorations, and an excellent organ. It is worth paying attention to the unique cross made of transparent material placed above the altar. It shimmers with the colors of the ancient mosaic behind it.

Despite the fact that the panorama of Bonn has changed over the centuries, the monastery-basilica of St. Martin has retained its original and ancient appearance.

The first Orthodox church in Bonn - Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Beginning in 1964, the Russian-speaking Orthodox community of Bonn rented a small room from the Church of the Evangelists. Now, several decades later, the philanthropist bought the church of St. Helena from the evangelists and handed it over to the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate.

On October 21, 2017, a significant event took place in the religious world of Bonn and throughout West Germany as a whole - the first Orthodox Church of the Intercession in the history of this city was opened Holy Mother of God. On this day, the church was consecrated in honor of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena.

Several hundred people attended the ceremony. It was announced that church services would be held in two languages - Russian and German.

The Orthodox Church in Bonn has its own shrines: part of the relics of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena and part of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The ancient and unusual church called Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf or "double church" which you can visit while walking along the Rhine promenade was built in 1151 by the Carolingian dynasty. The temple is located in the oldest district of Bonn - Schwanzendorf.

The church consists of two buildings crosswise connected to each other. In the middle is a high tower with a pointed dome. The name Doppel, which means "double", the church received because of the two levels. One is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and the second - to Pope Clement the First.

There are also two altars here: only the nobility and the best people of the city, and already on the lower level ordinary people of Bonn came with a prayer.

An interesting feature of the temple is a gallery with columns, which is not very typical for a church. On the internal walls you can see authentic medieval frescoes, interesting paintings on gospel themes. The Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf has preserved the most complete collection of Romanesque frescoes in all of Germany.

And although the “double church” has gone through many restorations, it has managed to preserve its unique medieval appearance.

Church named after Jesus

A small but beautiful temple, located in a busy place near the Beethoven house-museum. The church was built in 1686-1717 for the Jesuit order by order of the Elector of Cologne and Archbishop Maximilian Henry of Bavaria.

The building of the temple was built in the architectural style of the so-called Jesuit Baroque. This direction is characterized by an unexpected combination of baroque forms with Romanesque and Gothic elements.

The church has two towers with double Romanesque windows, while the main building is decorated with lancet Gothic windows. The shape of the domes of the tower is more typical for French baroque architecture.

As for the interior decoration of the Church of the Name of Jesus, most of it was destroyed during the years of the French occupation (1794-1800), and the temple itself was a soldier's barracks and stables.

Until our time, only the choirs and the pulpit (1698), crowned with the figure of the Archangel Michael defeating the dragon, have survived. The white and gold altarpiece (1755) is decorated with an 18th-century baroque painting depicting the Holy Family.

In 1774, after the departure of the Jesuits, the church was empty. In the period from 1877 to 1934 it was the parish church of the Old Catholic community of Bonn. Since 1934 it has served as the Catholic University Church.

Today the temple is owned by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and belongs to the Roman Catholic church community.

The Cathedral (Bonner Münster), made in the Romanesque and Gothic styles, is a historical monument of architecture. In 1956 Bonn Cathedral received the honorary title of Pontifical Minor Basilica.

This impressive medieval Catholic church was built on land that has been considered holy for 2000 years: originally there was a Roman temple, then a Catholic, and later a Christian church.

According to legend, the cathedral was founded on the site of the martyrdom of Roman legionnaires Cassius and Florentius. They were subjects of the Roman emperor Maximian Herculius, but did not obey his order to execute Christians, but remained faithful to Christianity.

In the 4th century, St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, built a memorial tomb over the burial place of Christian martyrs.

And after 300 years, this room was expanded, and in 1050 the construction of the current cathedral began. The construction of the temple lasted about three centuries. And although the cathedral was badly damaged during the Second World War, its medieval beauty he has kept to this day.

The building is decorated with five towers, each of which is crowned with a spire. If you pay attention to the southwest corner of the church, you will see a door that leads to a hidden gallery built in the 12th century. Horses, lions and dragons are depicted under its vaults, and an amazing fountain is located in the very center.

The interior of the temple is striking in splendor and wealth. Here you can see such creations of medieval masters:

font of the XII century with the image of Noah's ark;
13th century angel and devil sculptures on the east wing;
a 15th-century fresco depicting the Three Wise Men;
11th century altar above the chapel.

Bonn Cathedral is truly a masterpiece of late Romanesque art from the time of the Hohenstaufen dynasty (1138-1254).

Outside about Bonn Cathedral lie the huge stone heads of Cassius and Florentius, made by sculptor Iskander Yediler in 2002.

There is also an underground room in which there is a grave of martyrs. It is possible to get there only once a year - on October 10, the day of honoring the saints.
Every year, concerts and excursions are held on the territory of the cathedral. German, the so-called Bonn summer.

Ancient historical value - St. Helena Chapel

Helena's Chapel on Am Hof Street in the center of the Old Town attracts the attention of tourists: this historical value is unique in its kind, as it is the only Romanesque home chapel in the Rhineland that has survived to this day.

The chapel was founded by the pastor of the monastery of St. Cassius Gerhard von Are in 1160. And the name of St. Helena was given to the church as a sign of respect for Empress Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine.

The building of the chapel is a square temple with a cross vault and a semicircular apse. Light enters through three semi-circular windows.

The floor is paved with stone slabs of the 12th century. The vaults of the temple are decorated with amazing frescoes of the 13th-15th centuries, which were restored during the restoration of the chapel in the 1960s.

After the secularization (withdrawal from church jurisdiction and transfer to civil jurisdiction) of the chapel in 1803, the church building passed into private ownership. Since 1905 the church has belonged to the city.

Church of St. Mary

St. Mary's Church (St. Mariakirche) is located in the northern part of Bonn. You can see its spire with three bronze bells from the city center.

The construction of the temple began in 1887. To date appearance The building is an excellent example of neo-Gothic architectural style.

The length of the church is only 80 meters, the width is 20 meters, and the whole building is made of light brick.

The beautiful folding altar, as well as the side altars, the font and the pulpit, date back to the period when the construction of the church began.

In 1892, a large organ was installed above the entrance to the church, which was called the "Queen". Since 2010, a small organ called the “Princess” has been installed on the right side of the church.

Church of the Holy Stairs Kreuzberg

The “Holy Staircase” of the Kreuzberg Church (Kreuzberg Bonn, Heilige Stiege auf dem Bonner Kreuzberg) was modeled on the stairs of the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. According to the biblical interpretation, Jesus climbed these stairs to appear before the court of Pontius Pilate.

The construction of the church began in 1627-1628 by order of Archbishop and Elector Ferdinand. In 1689 the church was plundered.

And in 1746, during the restoration of the temple, the Elector Clemens August came up with the idea of creating the Holy Stairs (Heilige Stiege) there.

But it was built by Balthasar Neumann closer to 1751. At that time, such sacred stairs were very common, especially in Bavaria.

The impressive Holy Staircase is today renowned as one of the finest Baroque creations in the entire Rhineland.

The temple belonged to the Servites (monastic order of servants of the Virgin Mary catholic church) until the era of Napoleonic persecution of monasteries, and after 1802 the building was turned into a pub. In 1855 the church was taken over by the Jesuits, and in 1889 by the Franciscans.
It is worth paying attention to the sculptural group above the entrance: the famous biblical scene is depicted when Pontius Pilate shows the scourged Jesus to the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the balcony of his palace, exclaiming: Ecce Homo (“Behold the Man!”).
The Church of the Holy Stairs of Kreuzberg still remains a place of pilgrimage, where every year on Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the faithful climb the stairs (28 steps) on their knees to the cross with a crucifix in the chapel. Small brass crosses on the second, eleventh and twelfth steps symbolize the drops of Christ's blood.

Church of St. Elizabeth in Bonn

The current parish Roman Catholic church Katholische Pfarrkirche St. Elisabeth is named after Elizabeth of Hungary. This church is relatively young, as it was built in 1908 for 2200 parishioners according to the project of architect Ludwig Becker.

The temple is attractive both from the outside view and excellent classical interior decoration: stained-glass windows, bas-reliefs, vaulted painted ceiling, chandeliers.

Local artists were involved in the design of the interiors, as well as Georg Busch (Georg Busch, a German sculptor) and Matthias Schiestl (Matthias Schiestl, a German artist and graphic artist, made a study trip to the Holy Land and Egypt in 1905) together with his brother Heinrich ( Heinrich Schiestl).

The church has an organ built between 1910 and 1913 by Johannes Klais in the German Romantic style.

In 1990, the organ was restored, and in 2002 it was re-equipped with an electro-pneumatic system. For connoisseurs of musical art, concerts of classical, organ and church music are held in the Church of St. Elizabeth.
What is interesting: this temple is not marked on tourist maps and is located inside a quiet quarter at Bernard-Custodis-Strasse, 1. It is protected as an architectural monument.

Church of Saint Kikilia

Another interesting ancient parish church in the Oberkassel district of Bonn, about 6 km southeast of the historic center of Bonn, is the Church of St. Kikilia.

The first mention of this church dates back to 1144. The temple was built in the Romanesque style. The oldest and most famous part of it is the four-story Romanesque bell tower, made of rubble stone in 1200. Now there are 5 bells hanging in the bell tower, and two of them are considered the oldest in Bonn (XV century).

In 1863-1865, a new central nave was built to the east of the tower. The old church on the western side was destroyed. And in 1910, a side nave was added to the church. In 1955 a large sacristy was erected.

It is worth paying attention to the stained-glass windows of the choir, created in 1884-1886. artist Josef Machhausen. One of them depicts Saint Kikilia.

Mosques in Germany

A significant religious Muslim group in Germany formed in the 1960s in connection with labor migration and a wave of political refugees. Therefore, there was a need to build mosques. The first Muslim communities and Islamic associations began to form, and religious centers were opened. According to approximate data, about four million 300 thousand Muslims live in Germany, which is 5 percent of the total population of the country.

To date, there are about 240 classical mosques with a dome and minarets in Germany, and there are more than 2,500 thousand prayer houses. In autumn 2008, the largest mosque in Europe opened in Duisburg. At the same time, the construction of German mosques remains the subject of heated debate.

Al-Muhajirin Moschee - a mosque in Bonn

For representatives of the Muslim faith, it is very important to conduct prayers in the mosque, since prayer has great power there. In Bonn, at Bruehler Str. 28, 53119, Al-Muhajirin Mosque is located. Official site .

The construction of the Bonn Mosque, which began in 2011, has now been completed. The most important place in the mosque is the carpeted prayer room, where you will not see chairs or benches. Muslims only pray on their knees. But for elderly or sick people there are some chairs on the edge of the prayer room.

Mosque Al-Muhajirin together with the Catholic parish of St. Thomas More, the Protestant Eastern Church and volunteers participate in the Dining Oasis charity project. Weekly shelter and meals are organized for needy people from the northwestern region of Bonn for a small fee.

The project is financed exclusively by donations in churches and with the help of private sponsorship.

Conclusion

If you want to take a break from the fast and noisy rhythm of life, then quiet and cozy Bonn is just for you. And many beautiful temples, churches and mosques, which attract with their architecture, valuable relics, magical music of organs and bells, will help you plunge into the world of religious sacrament.