Twin neo-Gothic spires of St Peter’s Cathedral or the Dom St Peter in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. The spires were added in 1859 and 1869, symptom of 19th century nostalgia for the Middle Ages and interpretation of Gothic as an “altdeutsch” or old German architectural style. In 1835, King Ludwig I of Bavaria gave the order to remove from the cathedral, built between 1275 and 1520, all features that were not Gothic.
Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany: twin neo-Gothic openwork spires of St Peter’s Cathedral or the Dom St Peter. St Peter’s Cathedral is mainly a 1300s - 1500s building with the spires added in the 1800s. Documentary evidence of the first cathedral on the site, an “ecclesia sancti Petri”, exists from 788 AD. In the late 900s AD, a basilica with nave and two side aisles was built. This was extended westwards in the early 1000s. A fire in 1273 and interest in the Gothic style of architecture led to a completely new cathedral being built, starting in 1275, in French Gothic style. Section by section over more than two centuries, the cathedral was built. Construction came to a halt around 1520 with religious unrest and an economic downturn. The 1800s brought decisive changes. As a consequence of Secularization, in 1810 the cathedral passed to the kingdom of Bavaria and became a state building. In 1835, King Ludwig I of Bavaria gave the order to remove all features that were not Gothic. A 19th century nostalgia for the Middle Ages and interpretation of Gothic as an “altdeutsch” or old German architectural style brought with it the desire to complete the cathedral. The spires were erected between 1859 and 1869, under Bishop Ignatius von Senestrey, with generous financial support from the Bavarian kings Ludwig I and Maximilian II.
Size: 2000px × 3008px
Location: Dom St Peter or St Peter's Cathedral, Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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