Cathedral Fritzlar

The origins of the cathedral trace back to Saint Boniface, who around 723/724 erected an oratory dedicated to St. Peter, built from the wood of the felled Donar Oak. Around 732, Boniface had a church and a Benedictine monastery built at the same location, which was led by Wigbert and elevated to an imperial abbey around 775. Archaeological findings confirm a predecessor building from the late 8th century. Fritzlar developed into an important site for imperial and ecclesiastical assemblies; Henry I was elected king here in 919. After its destruction in 1079, construction of a High Romanesque basilica began around 1085/1090, whose layout is still recognizable today. In the late 12th century, from 1171, a largely new construction in the Late Romanesque style incorporated elements of the Worms building school into North Hesse.