St. Stephan's Cathedral, Passau

About

St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Stephansdom, rises above the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers in the city of Passau, Germany. The church is dedicated to Saint Stephen, the first deacon and protomartyr of the Christian Church, and serves as the cathedra of the Bishop of Passau.

The present sanctuary was completed in 1688 in the Italianate Baroque manner. Churches have stood upon this site for more than fourteen centuries, but the medieval Gothic cathedral that long occupied the place was largely destroyed in the great fire that swept through Passau in 1662. The reconstruction was entrusted to Italian masters, who fashioned what is regarded as one of the most accomplished Baroque churches north of the Alps.

The interior is rich with white-and-gold stucco work and ceiling frescoes evoking the heavenly Jerusalem, while the twin towers and great green-copper dome rise as a familiar silhouette above the Altstadt. The choir and high altar honour Saint Stephen, whose witness as the first to lay down his life for the gospel inspires the dedication of the church.

The Stephansdom is also renowned for its great organ, which for many years held the title of the largest cathedral organ in the world. With more than 17,000 pipes across several instruments that can be played independently or together, the organ resounds at the daily noonday recitals offered during the warmer months.

Significance

St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of one of the great historic dioceses of Bavaria and a foremost example of Italianate Baroque sacred architecture in German-speaking lands. As the seat of the Bishop of Passau and home to one of the most celebrated organs in Christendom, it gathers liturgical, musical and architectural distinction in a single sanctuary above the Danube.