Cathedral of Magdeburg, Protestant cathedral in Magdeburg, Germany
The Cathedral of Magdeburg is a three-aisled Gothic basilica of sandstone with an ambulatory choir, its west front flanked by two square towers: the north tower reaches 100.98 m, the south 99.25 m. Between them a gabled section holds a round clock beneath a small cross over the pointed-arch west portal, added around 1330. Inside, pale beige stone rises in pointed arches and ribbed vaulting, with a pipe organ in a red and gold case above a projecting balcony.
A monastery founded here in 937 was raised to cathedral status in 968, and Otto I and his first wife Editha were buried in it. After a city fire destroyed that church in 1207, Archbishop Albert I of Käfernburg began the present Gothic cathedral in 1209. The choir was consecrated in 1363, and the north tower was finished with its ornamental cross in 1520.
Inside the northern transept stands a thirteenth-century statue of Saint Maurice carved in sandstone, showing him dressed in the full armor of a medieval knight. This representation marks one of the earliest portrayals of an African figure in European sculpture and reflects the longstanding devotion of the local community to its patron saint.
The building remains open to visitors every day and entry to the main hall does not require a fee. Climbing the tower platform involves several flights of stairs, so sturdy footwear and a moderate level of fitness are advisable.
The choir houses the tomb of Emperor Otto I and his first wife Edith in a red porphyry sarcophagus. No other German church contains imperial burial sites from the tenth century.
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