Minden Cathedral

Minden Cathedral
The Cathedral of Ss. Gorgonius and Peter
Mindener Dom
The cathedral from the west side
52°17′20″N 8°55′09″E
Location	Minden, Germany
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	Website of the Cathedral
History
Status	Active
Dedication	Gorgonius Saint Peter
Architecture
Functional status	parish Church
Style	Romanesque (original & westwork) Gothic
Groundbreaking	803 (803)
Specifications
Length	91 m (298 ft 7 in)
Width	39 m (127 ft 11 in)
Height	11 m (36 ft 1 in)
Number of spires	1
Spire height	55 m (180 ft 5 in)
Bells	13
Tenor bell weight	5495kg
Administration
Diocese	Archdiocese of Paderborn

Minden Cathedral, dedicated to Saints Gorgonius and Peter, is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From the year 803 AD, when the area was conquered by Charlemagne, Minden was the center of a diocese and subsequently became the center of a small sovereign state, a prince-bishopric (Hochstift) of Minden, until the time of the Peace of Westphalia (1648), when Minden was secularized as the Principality of Minden (which lasted until 1806). Despite the whole principality became a protestant region, the cathedral remeined Catholic, and the Cathedral chapter consisted of Catholic and Protestant members unitl it was abolished in 1810. Today the church belongs to the archdiocese of Paderborn.

History

Altarpiece (1425) of the Minden cathedral: angels play a harpsichord and a psaltery

Over the course of many centuries, the cathedral grew from a simple Carolingian church to a monumental basilica. The High Gothic nave and its large tracery windows inspired a number of other buildings. During World War II, the church was almost completely destroyed by an aerial bombing conducted by US Army Air Force B17s on 28 March 1945. This almost completely destroyed the town center including the town hall and cathedral and resulted in the death of over 180 people.

The church was rebuilt in the 1950s by architect Werner March. The church contains a number of valuable art treasures.

Patronage

From Rome in the 8th century the remains of St. Gorgonius were translated by Saint Chrodegang, Bishop of Metz to the monastery of Gorze in Lorraine. Some of the relics were later translated to Minden Cathedral.