Fribourg Cathedral, Gothic Catholic cathedral in Fribourg, Switzerland
Fribourg Cathedral is a three-aisled Gothic church built from 1283 to 1490 on the site of a Romanesque predecessor, its 76-metre tower completed in 1490. The west front opens onto a main portal whose 14th-century tympanum depicts the Last Judgment. Inside, clustered columns rise to pointed vaults, and a dark metal rood screen stands behind the stone pulpit.
The church began in 1283 as a parish building and reached its basic form by 1430. The tower was completed in 1490, giving it the silhouette seen today.
Inside, the stained glass windows created by Polish artist Jozef Mehoffer between 1896 and 1936 draw attention with their rich colors and religious scenes. These works shape how the space feels as you walk through it.
The main entrance is now the west portal; the former south portal, damaged by decades of car traffic, was walled up in the 1970s and only reopened after a 40-year restoration. The 76-metre tower is climbed by a 368-step spiral staircase. Look at the restored statue bases: one shows people absorbed in their smartphones.
The cathedral holds two organs, not one: the great organ built 1824–1834 by Aloys Mooser with 60 stops on four manuals and pedal, and the choir organ built 1655–1657 by Sebald Manderscheidt with 18 stops. Franz Liszt and Anton Bruckner were drawn to the Mooser instrument.
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