DOM ST. STEPHAN (SAINT STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL)
The Baroque St Stephen's Cathedral in Passau is a testimony to the power of the prince-bishops who ruled the city for a thousand years.
This splendid, gigantic Baroque cathedral, rebuilt on a Gothic base (still visible on the outside in the eastern part of the building), was built between 1668 and 1693, following the fire of 1662 that ravaged the town of Passau. Recognizable from afar by its distinctive green roof, which seems to dominate the entire city, its grandeur is a reminder of the power of the episcopal principality of Passau in the Holy Roman Empire. Today, it is still the seat of the Passau diocese. The present-day St. Stephen's Cathedral is the work of Italian architect Carlo Lurago, who redesigned it in the Baroque style that has survived intact to the present day. The interior is entirely Baroque. The frescoes on the cathedral ceiling were inspired by a famous work by Rubens: The Triumph of the Eucharist, in the Louvre. The high altar, on the other hand, dates from the post-war period and depicts the martyrdom of St. Stephen, who was stoned to death in the 1st century AD; a stoning echoed in the fresco above the choir. With its bright white interior, immense vaults and numerous stucco statues, it is simply sumptuous, full of grace and harmony. Passau's St. Stephen's Cathedral is also internationally renowned for its organ, the largest in the world when it was built in 1929, with 208 registers, including 4 carillons, and 17,774 pipes.
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