St. Stephen's Cathedral, Passau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Stephen's Cathedral |
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Stephansdom
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St. Stephen's Cathedral
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 St. Stephen's Cathedral
Location in Germany
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| 48°34′27″N 13°27′55″E / 48.5742°N 13.4653°E | |
| Location | Passau |
| Country | Germany |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1668 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Cathedral |
| Architect(s) | Carlo Lurago |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Baroque |
| Completed | 1693 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 100 m (328 ft 1 in) |
| Bells | 8 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Passau |
St. Stephen's Cathedral (German: Dom St. Stephan) is a beautiful Baroque church in Passau, Germany. It was built in 1688 and is dedicated to Saint Stephen. This church is very important because it is the main church for the Catholic Bishop of Passau and his diocese.
Many churches have stood on this spot since the year 730. The church you see today is a Baroque building. It is about 100 meters (328 feet) long. It was built between 1668 and 1693. This happened after a big fire in 1662 destroyed the church that was there before. Only the old Gothic eastern side of the previous church remained.
The main design for the cathedral was created by Carlo Lurago. The inside of the church was decorated by Giovanni Battista Carlone. The amazing paintings on the ceilings were done by Carpoforo Tencalla.
The Giant Organ
St. Stephen's Cathedral is famous for its huge pipe organ. This organ used to be the largest in the world! Today, it is still the largest church organ. However, some other organs, like the Wanamaker Organ in the USA, have become even bigger over time.
The organ in Passau has an incredible 17,774 pipes. It also has 233 different sounds, called registers. All these parts can be played from a main control panel, called a console, which has five keyboards.
Some parts of the organ also have their own smaller consoles. This means there are a total of six consoles to play this massive instrument!
The Cathedral Bells
The cathedral has eight large bells. They are located in the bell rooms of the north and south towers.
The two heaviest bells are in the south tower. "Pummerin" was made in 1952 and weighs 7,550 kilograms (16,645 pounds). "Sturmerin" was made in 1733 and weighs 5,300 kilograms (11,684 pounds).
The other six bells hang in the north tower. They include "Misericordia" (6,000 kg), the Angelus bell, "Predigerin", "Elfuhrglocken", the Choir bell, and "Dignitar". There is also a ninth bell, called the "Zeichenglocke", which is near the sacristy door.
Images for kids
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Chancel
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Central Organ in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Passau
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Dome paintings
See also
In Spanish: Catedral de San Esteban (Passau) para niños
