Paderborn Things to Do

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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.

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The citizens of Paderborn showed interest in the reformation but the protestant era did not last long. The bishop soon called the Jesuit order to promote the counter-reformation and lead his ‘sheep’ back to the Roman Catholic faith.

The Jesuits built their convent and church in the heart of the town next to the city hall. They opened, on behalf of the Bishop, a high school and college in 1580. The old university buildings next to the church with their big tower are still used by a high school and by the university’s faculty of theology.

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Among the shopping temples in Westernstraße, the Franciscan church and monastery set a less worldly accent. The façade was designed according to Italian models by the architect Antonio Petrini. The late 17th century church and the monastery were almost completely destroyed in the bomb raid of March 1945 but soon rebuilt. The rich furnishing is lost but the church still owns precious art treasures. The adjacent monastery is still inhabited by Franciscan monks.

The treasures of the diocese, the cathedral and other churches in the city are on display in the Diözesanmuseum in front of the cathedral. Decide for yourselves if the architecture adds to the decor of the square…

The museum is on my to-do-list for my next visit.

The museum is currently preparing a big exhibition "1000 years Bishop Meinwerk" and remains closed until the opening on October 21, 2009.

The tracery of one window in the cloister shows a trick of medieval mathematics. Three hares form a circle. Each of them has two ears but in total there are only three ears.

Location: inside the cloister of the cathedral on the northern side, behind/above the peacock fountain.

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The cloister behind the choir is the burial place of the clerics of the cathedral. Access is from the northern transept through the chapel beside the choir, or from outside the cathedral.

The modern fountain with the peacock refers to Saint Liborius, the local saint.

The interior shows a gothic architecture but the furnishing has been redesigned and renewed later on.

The cathedral is the burial place of St Liborius whose mortal remains were transferred from Le Mans to Paderborn in 836. His tomb is in the crypt.

Thirty Bishops have been buried in the church. Some graves are in the nave, others in the crypt. The three archbishops have found their resting place in a separate crypt. The largest and most elaborate tombstone is the one of Bishop Dietrich von Fürstenberg, who died in 1618, in the northern side nave.

If you want to experience the cathedral as a church and not only as a tourist sight, attend High Mass (Sunday 10:00) with the Metropolitan Chapter and, if he is in town, the Archbishop. During my visit he wasn’t but it was the Suffragan who celebrated mass. It was very festive.

More photos of the interior in my travelogue page.

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A first missionary church was already founded in 777 when Charlemagne built the first palace (Pfalz) on the hill above the Pader springs. The diocese of Paderborn was founded in 799 when the future emperor met Pope Leo III in this very location to negotiate the coronation which then took place at Christmas 800 in Rome. So Paderborn made European history. This location was surrounded by territory of the pagan Saxons and played an important role both in their military suppression and in the mission.

The first Bishop was Hathumar (806-815). The present Archbishop Hans-Josef Becker is the 65th Bishop and 4th Archbishop of Paderborn.

The cathedral in its present shape was erected in the 13th century. Repairs and minor redesigns have taken place in the run of the centuries, though. The firestorm of 1945 has left the cathedral standing but the stones of the facades were burnt. The outside needed a new ‘skin’. The facades have, stone by stone, been substituted by new material in the old shape. The big sturdy steeple, built in the 13th century, is Paderborn’s landmark and visible from almost everywhere in town, thus a good point of orientation.

From Market square you enter the cathedral through the Paradise Porch. Stop for a moment and see the sculptures of the Romanesque portal with the Madonna onn the central pillar, the holy Bishops Liborius and Kilian on the wooden doors, sic disciples and Saint Julian and Saint Catherine of Alexandria.