Being a Catholic in the Philippines, we have a lot of churches, and we always visit churches wherever we find ourselves in the world. There is even this belief that if you pray certain prayers three times in a church, when you first visit it, you can make a wish, which we were taught as children.

BAMBERGER DOM

The Bamberger Dom, as the locals call it, was founded in 1002 by King Henry II (later Emperor) but burned down in the 11th & 12th centuries, before the current Romanesque and Gothic structure with four large towers was built in the 13th century. You can see the original structure versus the impressive restoration that has been done to bring it back to it’s glory.

Outside are wide open spaces, where you can better to appreciate this magnificently large structure before entering it.

Inside the height is just impressive and I felt like being in the set of The Borgias or something, with such a grand pulpit, underneath and impressive organ. I felt extra tiny in the 94meter long, 28 m broad and 26 m high cathedral, with four towers each about 81 m high.

There are many works of art, one is the magnificent marble tomb of the founder, Emperor Heinrich II, and his wife, the empress Cunigunde. It is considered the masterpiece of sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider, carved between 1499 to 1513.

Bamberger Dom is also the site of the only papal burial, outside of Italy and France. Pope Clement II (1005–47) is buried here, a local bishop before he became Pope in 1046. He died after having been pope for only twelve months.