Salzburg Cathedral Audio Guide

Salzburg Cathedral: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Salzburg Cathedral

   Welcome to Salzburg Cathedral, the Salzburger Dom, in the heart of Salzburg's old town. Look up first. Its two mighty towers, its bright marble facade and its great dome shape the skyline of the old city. This is the seventeenth-century Baroque cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg, dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Vergilius, whom you may also know as Saint Virgil. The building you see today is much younger than the story behind it. A cathedral was founded on this spot in 774, and over the centuries it burned, was rebuilt and grew again. Its history is closely tied to the prince-archbishops who ruled Salzburg as both spiritual and worldly lords. In the next few minutes we will walk through its origins, its Baroque rebirth, the details you can read on its facade, and the treasures waiting inside. The cathedral also faces a wide Baroque square, which works like an open-air stage. In summer the Salzburg Festival uses it, and in winter it hosts the Christmas market. So even before you step through the doors, you are standing in a place that is still used for theater, music and celebration.

2. 02

   From Saint Virgil to Baroque Rebirth

   Let's go back to 774. That year Saint Virgil, then Bishop of Salzburg, founded a church here, on the remains of a Roman town. It was continuously extended over the following centuries. Then, in 1167, the cathedral, still Carolingian at its core, burned to the ground. Archbishop Conrad the Third ordered something far grander. It was a huge Romanesque church, 110 meters long and crowned with five towers, in the spirit of the cathedrals of Mainz and Worms. Fires would strike again, and each time the church was rebuilt and expanded. The great turning point came in the seventeenth century. Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, a patron of modern Italian Baroque architecture which he had seen in Italy and especially in Rome, set the course for a complete rebuilding in the new style. The same ruler was responsible for the nearby Alte Residenz, which today is connected to the cathedral. The man who designed the new church was an Italian, Santino Solari. The result was the most important church of its time north of the Alps, and it influenced architecture in Austria and southern Germany.

3. 03

   Consecration, Music and Marble

   The new sanctuary was completed in 1628, less than 15 years after construction began. It was consecrated that year by Archbishop Paris Lodron, and the consecration on 24 September 1628 was a musical spectacle. Twelve choirs were positioned in the marble galleries of the cathedral and sang a Te Deum composed by Stefano Bernardi, the Kapellmeister to the Salzburg court. The score has since been lost, so that sound exists only in imagination. The relics of Saint Rupert were transferred to the cathedral when it was completed. The finished church is 142 meters long and 33 meters high at the crossing beneath the dome. It impresses with clear forms, uniform decor and a bright facade made of local marble. The towers and the surrounding squares took longer, and were not completed until 40 years after the consecration. The cathedral was also consecrated in 1628 without having been caught up in the Thirty Years' War. The Baroque squares around it, which form such a unique stage, belong to the old town recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.

4. 04

   Reading the Facade and Meeting the Treasures

   Stand in the square and read the facade like a book. Four monumental statues look down at you. The apostles Peter and Paul hold a key and a sword. Beside them are Salzburg's two patron saints, Rupert with a salt vessel and Virgil with a model of the church. High on the gable, two coats of arms commemorate the builders of the cathedral, Markus Sittikus and Paris Lodron. There are three doors, representing faith, love and hope, and the middle door of love is slightly larger than the others. Above you hang seven bells, each with a name, from Salvator, the largest, to Barbara, the smallest. Inside, the bronze baptismal font dates back to 1321 and was created by Master Heinrich. It rests on two lion figures that go back as far as the twelfth century, and its basin is decorated with reliefs of saints, bishops and abbots of Salzburg. This is the font in which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptized. Among the other things to discover are the crypt, the art installation called Vanitas, and the reliquary shrine with the remains of Saints Rupert and Virgil. The cathedral museum shows art treasures from 1300 years of church history.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   One last chapter belongs to the twentieth century. In 1944, during the Second World War, a bomb crashed through the central dome over the crossing. Rebuilding took years, and the cathedral was consecrated again in 1959. Next time you look up toward the dome, remember that it has been rebuilt within living memory. The interior can be visited during opening hours, and the squares outside are always worth a slow circle. Notice how the cathedral changes the character of the space around it, whether it forms the backdrop for the performances of Jedermann during the Salzburg Festival or for the Christmas market. So take your time. Count the three doors, listen for the bells, and look for the lions beneath the font. Every corner of this church has a story waiting for you, and you may find that the one you remember best is a detail you almost walked past.