Verden cathedral, Lutheran cathedral in Verden, Germany

Verden Cathedral is a three-nave Gothic hall church built from brick, standing in the center of the town of Verden in northern Germany. Its interior features pointed arches and ribbed vaults, typical of the brick Gothic style found across the region.

A church stood here by 814, and Bishop Wigger built the first stone basilica, dedicated to Mary and Cecilia in 1028; its sandstone tower base survives. The Romanesque brick basilica burned in 1268. Bishop Konrad I began the present Gothic hall church in 1290; the choir was consecrated in 1323, and the nave was finished in 1490.

The cathedral is an active place of Lutheran worship where services are held regularly throughout the week. Visitors who step inside can notice the light coming through tall windows and the way the brick walls shape the sound inside.

The main western entrance is usually closed, so visitors should look for the entrance from the market side of the building. This access point is clearly marked and straightforward to find on arrival.

The cathedral's choir is considered the earliest hall-church ambulatory choir in German architecture, its walls drawn tight to the point of austerity. The design was copied in the Johanniskirche in Lüneburg and the choir of Lübeck Cathedral. The 1830 neo-Gothic high altar stands beneath a gilded wooden retable 7.5 metres high and 4 metres wide.