Minden Cathedral

Minden Cathedral
The Cathedral of Ss. Gorgonius and Peter
Mindener Dom
The cathedral from the west side
52°17′20″N8°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 ofspires	1
Spire height	55 m (180 ft 5 in)
Bells	13
Tenor bell weight	5495kg
Administration
Diocese	Archdiocese of Paderborn

Minden Cathedral,dedicated to SaintsGorgoniusandPeter,is aRoman Catholicchurch in the city ofMinden,North Rhine-Westphalia,Germany.From the year 803 AD, when the area was conquered byCharlemagne,Minden was the center of a diocese and subsequently became the center of a small sovereign state, a prince-bishopric (Hochstift) ofMinden,until the time of thePeace 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 theCathedral chapterconsisted of Catholic and Protestant members unitl it was abolished in 1810. Today the church belongs to thearchdiocese of Paderborn.

History

Altarpiece (1425) of the Minden cathedral: angels play aharpsichordand apsaltery

Over the course of many centuries, the cathedral grew from a simpleCarolingianchurch to a monumental basilica. TheHigh Gothicnave and its large tracery windows inspired a number of other buildings. DuringWorld War II,the church was almost completely destroyed by an aerial bombing conducted byUS Army Air ForceB17son 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 architectWerner March.The church contains a number of valuable art treasures.

Patronage

From Rome in the 8th century the remains of St. Gorgonius weretranslatedby SaintChrodegang, Bishop of Metzto the monastery ofGorzeinLorraine.Some of the relics were later translated to Minden Cathedral.