Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus
Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus rises in central Frankfurt am Main as a Gothic church dedicated to Saint Bartholomew. Its 95-metre spire shapes the city skyline, while the building’s scale reflects its role as Frankfurt’s largest religious structure.
The present church stands on foundations of a Merovingian church and took shape during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. After the Golden Bull of 1356, imperial elections took place here, and elected emperors received their crowns between 1562 and 1792. The Wahlkapelle, built beside the choir in 1425, preserves the setting of those elections. Fire destroyed the church in 1867, and wartime damage later burned out the interior before reconstruction in the 1950s restored its form.
Inside, the central altar traditionally holds part of Saint Bartholomew’s head and served imperial anointings. The Mary’s Sleep Altar, a painting by Anton van Dyck, and the cathedral museum add art and history to the visit.
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