Ratzeburg Cathedral, Lutheran cathedral in Ratzeburg, Germany
Ratzeburg Cathedral is a three-aisled Romanesque basilica in brick, built from 1160 on the highest point of the old town island. Its massive west tower carries a green copper spire, and the south porch of 1220 has a gable laid in opus spicatum. The nave keeps round arcades, while the choir vaulting was later rebuilt in Gothic form.
The foundation stone was laid on 11 August 1154, and work on the choir began after 1160 under Bishop Evermod, on the site of a former sanctuary of the Slavic goddess Siva. The south porch completed the church around 1220. In 1552 mercenary leader Vollrad von Mansfeld plundered the cathedral but spared it from fire for 4,000 thalers.
The cathedral's name honours Mary and John the Evangelist, and its parish has belonged to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany since 2012, when the merger service was held here. The Provost of Lauenburg was installed in the cathedral on 4 September 2022. A replica of the Brunswick Lion has stood on the cathedral courtyard since 1881.
The site is reached on foot from the town center and sits in a quiet part of the island town that is easy to explore. Visitors should allow time to study the exterior walls and surrounding structures, especially the connections between the different building sections.
The cathedral courtyard holds a replica of the Brunswick Lion, placed there in 1881; the original lion was cast for Henry the Lion, who founded this cathedral as a bishop's church. The Ratzeburg cathedral is the oldest of the four so-called Lion Cathedrals, alongside Schwerin, Lübeck and Braunschweig.
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