Salzburg Cathedral
The most impressive dome in the city of Mozart
Around just two street corners from your Hotel Kasererbraeu lies Salzburg Cathedral – the largest and most impressive building in the Old Town of Salzburg.
Church towers in the old town of Salzburg Salzburg Cathedral has dominated the townscape of the city of Mozart for almost 400 years. The cathedral is the visual and spiritual centre of the Old Town of Salzburg. The marvellous façade of the church building serves as a backdrop for performances during Salzburg Festival. Hugo von Hofmannsthal could not have found a more impressive stage for his morality play ‘Everyman’. Experience the play telling the story of the death and redemption of a heartless Everyman in front of four impressive marble statues (the apostles Peter and Paul and the local patron saints Rupert and Virgil) of the cathedral’s façade.
History of Salzburg Cathedral
Salzburg Cathedral The first cathedral in the city of Salzburg was built under the reign of Bishop Virgil. This cathedral was burned to the ground by followers of Emperor Barbarossa in 1167. Archbishop Konrad III von Wittelsbach had the cathedral rebuilt as a more imposing church than ever before. In 1598 another fire destroyed large parts of the cathedral. At this time Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau was Archbishop of Salzburg. He decided to demolish the remaining walls of the church building to erect an even greater cathedral in its place. Due to a feud with the rulers of Bavaria he was not able to turn his plans into reality. He spent the rest of his life imprisoned in Hohensalzburg Castle, held captive by the Bavarians and his nephew and successor Markus Sittikus. Markus Sittikus charged the Italian architect Santino Solari with the new construction of Salzburg Cathedral. Construction work was completed under the reign of Paris Lodron 14 years later. Today the epitaphs of the two principals can be found next to the main altar. One of the most extraordinary sightseeing highlights of Salzburg Cathedral is the baptismal font. It was created in 1321 and is older than the cathedral itself. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptised in this font – as was Joseph Mohr, author of the Christmas carol ‘Silent Night’.
Learn more about the history of the city of Salzburg at the Salzburg Museum in the New Residential Palace right behind Salzburg Cathedral.
