St Liborius, the Local Saint
by Kathrin_E
To support the mission among the pagan Saxons who had only recentl become Christians the second Bishop of Paderborn, Badurad, wanted the relics of a saint in his church. In 836 he asked his colleague in Le Mans and received the mortal remains of Saint Liborius, a former Bishop of Le Many who had lived in the late 4th century. The relics were transferred, and according to the legend a peacock flew ahead of them. When the procession reached the cathedral in Paderborn, the peacock sat down on the roof and died.
The peacock is a symbol of immortality. Peacock figures can be found all over the cathedral, for example behind the Bishop’s seat, on the railings at the stairs to the altar, on the fountain in the cloister.
Paderborn’s main Volksfest is connected with the holiday of the saint and named Liborifest.
Jesuitenkirche
by Kathrin_E
The Jesuit church, built in the late 16th century, shows the typical mix of styles with late gothic elements that were still used to emphasize the tradition of the one true Christian church, although in those times the gothic style was a thing of the past.
The interior is dominated by the majestic gilded altar in the choir. However, the impressive front is a fake made of plaster and plywood. The church was heavily hit by World War II bombs. In the process of rebuilding discussions arose what to do with the choir and the altar. Modern, contemporary solutions were searched but none proved satisfactory. There was only one way to do the room justice: a reconstruction of the old altar. Donations were collected. However, costs would have been immense. So the cheapest (still expensive) solution, a mere reconstruction of the surface on a structure of cheap materials, was chosen.
The platform in front of the church was used for religious theatre performances. The Jesuits often used this medium to teach religious stories and their content.
Welcome to PADERBORN
by Leipzig
Paderborn is located in the eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a modern city with about 140,000 inhabitants and a history of more than 1200 years. The river Pader, from which the city derives its name, flows through the town.
My father used to work close to Paderborn and I visited him every now and then. I did not take own photos but my father did. Before I can scan his photos I use some from the net (if I offend the copyright let me know, I'll delete all pics immediately).
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Bartholomäuskapelle, column detail
Paderborn University
Mural (graffiti?) about Liborifest
Westernstraße
