Stiftsbasilika Waldsassen, Baroque basilica in Waldsassen, Germany.
Stiftsbasilika Waldsassen is a baroque abbey church in the town of Waldsassen in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria. It forms part of a Cistercian monastery complex and consists of a long nave, several side chapels, surrounding galleries, and a large underground crypt.
The church was built between 1685 and 1704 following plans by Georg Dientzenhofer and Abraham Leuthner. It was erected as part of a Cistercian monastery that held an important religious role in the region.
The basilica houses ten reliquary skeletons brought from Roman catacombs and decorated in the 18th century by Cistercian brother Adalbart Eder. Visitors walking through the church can see these figures displayed in glass cases, offering a direct look at religious devotion as it was practiced at the time.
The church and its underground crypt are open to visitors, and it is worth setting aside enough time since there is a lot to take in across the different sections. The crypt runs beneath the full length of the building and counts as a separate part of the visit.
The main organ was built in 1738 by Johann Konrad Brandenstein and has 7,720 pipes arranged in 141 ranks. It is still used for both services and concerts today, and its warm, full sound can fill every corner of the building.
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