Lübeck Cathedral (German:Dom zu Lübeck, or colloquiallyLübecker Dom) is a large brick-builtLutheran cathedral inLübeck, Germany, and part of the LübeckWorld Heritage Site.^[1] It was started in 1173 byHenry the Lion as a cathedral for theBishop of Lübeck. It was partly destroyed in abombing raid in World War II (1942), when theArp Schnitger organ was destroyed by fire, but was subsequently reconstructed.

Lübeck Cathedral
Proto-Cathedral of Saints John the Baptist, Blaise, Mary, and Nicholas
Lübecker Dom
Location	Altstadt,Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein
Country	Germany
Denomination	Lutheran
Previous denomination	Roman Catholic
Membership	Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany
Website	[1]
History
Status	Cathedral
Dedication	John the Baptist Blaise of Sebaste The Virgin Mary Nicholas of Myra
Dedicated	1247
Architecture
Heritage designation	Cultural Heritage Monument of Schleswig-Holstein (201–202)
Architectural type	Basilica
Style	Romanesque Gothic
Groundbreaking	1173
Completed	1335
Specifications
Length	131 m (429 ft 9 in)
Height	20 m (65 ft 7 in)
Number oftowers	2
Tower height	115 m (377 ft 4 in)
Number ofspires	1
Materials	Brick
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Hanseatic City of Lübeck
Type	Cultural
Criteria	(iv)
Designated	1987
Reference no.	272
Region	Western Europe

It is also famous for works ofBernt Notke andThomas Quellinus, which survived the bombing raid in 1942. The famous altar byHans Memling is now in Lübeck'sSt. Annen Museum.^[2] The current church was finished in 1982.

In 1873 the cathedral celebrated its 700th anniversary, when an offshoot of theLutheran Memorial Beech Tree, inSteinbach nearBad Liebenstein in Thuringia, was planted in the churchyard.

In 1173Henry the Lion founded the cathedral to serve theDiocese of Lübeck, after the transfer in 1160 of the bishop's seat fromOldenburg in Holstein under bishop Gerold.

The thenRomanesque cathedral was completed around 1230, but between 1266 and 1335 it was converted into aGothic-style building with side-aisles raised to the same height as the main aisle (around 20m).

On the night ofPalm Sunday (28–29 March) 1942 aRoyal Air Force bombing raid destroyed a fifth of the town centre. Several bombs fell in the area around the church, causing the eastern vault of thequire to collapse and destroying thealtar which dated from 1696. A fire from the neighbouring cathedral museum spread to thetruss of the cathedral, and around noon on Palm Sunday the towers collapsed. AnArp Schnitgerorgan was lost in the flames. Nevertheless, a relatively large portion of the internal fittings was saved, including the cross and almost all of the medievalpolyptychs. In 1946 a further collapse, of thegable of the northtransept, destroyed thevestibule almost completely.

Reconstruction of the cathedral took several decades, as greater priority was given to the rebuilding of theMarienkirche. Work was completed only in 1982.

In 2002 a symposium took place in conjunction with theLübeck Academy of Music to consider the reconstruction of theArp Schnitger organ. It was concluded that such a reconstruction would be possible, but no decision has yet been taken. The discussion follows a research project at the university inGothenburg, Sweden, where a reconstruction of the Lübeck organ has been going on since the mid-1990s. That reconstruction was concluded in 2001 with installation of the replica, including a replica of the organ front, in an earlier abandoned church from the late 1890s, Örgryte church. The church is now rebuilt as a concert hall.

The cathedral is unique in that at 105 m, it is shorter than the tallest church in the city. This is the consequence of a power struggle between the church and theguilds.

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  Interior before 1942.
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  Interior, 23 November 1914.
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  Burning Lübeck Cathedral after an air raid in 1942.
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  The nave post-restoration, in 2016.

The 17 mcrucifix is the work of the Lübeck artistBernt Notke. It was commissioned by the bishop of Lübeck, Albert II Krummendiek, and erected in 1477. The carvings which decorate therood screen are also by Notke.

Since the war, the famousaltar ofHans Memling has been in the medieval collection of theSt. Annen Museum, but notablepolyptychs remain in the cathedral.

In the funeral chapels of the southern aisle areBaroque-era memorials by theFlemish sculptorThomas Quellinus.

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  Crucifix of Bernt Notke
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  Baptismal font of Lorenz Grove
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  Rood screen
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  Funeral chapels

One of the most famous inscriptions inside the cathedral is a poem:

Ye call Me Master and obey me not,

Ye call Me Light and see Me not,

Ye call Me Way and walk not,

Ye call Me Life and desire Me not,

Ye call Me wise and follow Me not,

Ye call Me fair and love Me not,

Ye call Me rich and ask Me not,

Ye call Me eternal and seek Me not,

Ye call Me gracious and trust Me not,

Ye call Me noble and serve Me not,

Ye call Me mighty and honour Me not,

Ye call Me just and fear Me not,

If I condemn you, blame me not.

(Anonymous)

According tolegend, in the 8th centuryCharlemagne was hunting inSaxony and chased a hugedeer. After a long pursuit he succeeded in capturing the animal but neither killed nor kept it. Instead he took a gold chain and laid it on the deer's antlers.

Four hundred years later theWends andSaxons had converted to Christianity, and the man now out hunting wasHenry the Lion, the founder of Lübeck. Henry had separated himself from his followers in order to be alone with his thoughts. He wanted to build a church, but lacked the necessary funds. At that moment a great deer appeared before him with a diamond-encrusted crucifix in its antlers. He took this as a sign from God, and shot the animal. He took the cross from its antlers; hardly had he done so when the deer rose up and disappeared into the bushes. The young duke now had enough money for the construction of the church.

The cathedral is now one of the three Lutheran churches of theNorth Elbian Evangelical Church. Since 2001 the bishop has beenBärbel Wartenberg-Potter.

The congregation is closely connected with the musical life of the city. Thanks to the long-serving organist andcantorUwe Röhl (1925–2005), the cathedral plays host to theSchleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.

• Paul Brockhaus (Hrsg.):Vom Lübecker Dom, Lübeck 1958
• Wolfgang Grusnick / Friedrich Zimmermann:Der Dom zu Lübeck, Verlag Langewiesche, Königstein a.T., 1996ISBN 3-7845-0827-8
• Matthias Riemer:Domus Dei – Bei Gott zu Hause. Raumkonzepte im Lübecker Dom – eine Annäherung. In:Das Gedächtnis der Hansestadt Lübeck: Festschrift für Antjekathrin Graßmann zum 65. Geburtstag. In Verbindung mit dem Verein für Lübeckische Geschichte und Altertumskunde und dem Hansischen Geschichtsverein hrsg. von Rolf Hammel-Kiesow und Michael Hundt. Lübeck : Schmidt-Römhild, 2005.ISBN 3-7950-5555-5

53°51′39″N10°41′09″E / 53.8608°N 10.6858°E /53.8608; 10.6858