Germany - Limburg an der Lahn, Limburger Dom

The Limburger Dom (Limburg Cathedral) also known as Georgsdom (George's Cathedral> is one of the best preserved late Romanesque style buildings in Germany. It is unknown when the first church was built on a hill above the Lahn river. Archaeological discoveries have revealed traces of a 9th-century church building in the area of the current chapel. It was probably built in Merovingian times as a castle and the chapel added in the early 9th century.

In 910 AD, Count Konrad Kurzbold founded a collegiate chapter of 18 canons, who lived on the hilltop site. The original castle chapel was torn down and a three-aisled church was built in its place; its foundations have been found beneath the present floor.

The construction of current cathedral is dated to 1180-90. The consecration was performed in 1235 by the archbishop of Trier. Most probably the cathedral was built in four stages. In reference to the seven sacraments, the cathedral also has seven towers.

The interior was destroyed by Swedish soldiers during the Thirty Years War (1618-48) and reconstructed in a late Baroque style in 1749. The church became the rank of cathedral in 1827 when the bishopric of Limburg was founded. In- and exterior have been renovated and restored acouple of times; the last renovation was in the 1980s.