Strasbourg Cathedral Audio Guide

Strasbourg Cathedral: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Strasbourg Cathedral

   Welcome to Strasbourg Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral in the city of Strasbourg, in Alsace, France. It goes by several names: in French, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg; in German, Liebfrauenmünster or Straßburger Münster. Those names hint at the story you are about to hear, because this city has lived between French and German worlds for centuries, and its great church carries both inheritances. The cathedral stands in the historic center, the area known as the Grande Île. In 1988 the cathedral was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with that historic center, recognized for its outstanding Gothic architecture. Today it draws around 4 million visitors a year, which makes it the second most visited cathedral in France after Notre-Dame de Paris. As you stand in front of it, try something many visitors have attempted: fit the entire facade into your camera frame. It is famously hard. Over the next few minutes we will look at how the cathedral was built, what makes its design so daring, and how it survived wars, religious upheaval and revolution.

2. 02

   Four Centuries in Stone: How It Was Built

   Construction here has deep roots. The earliest building on the site dates to 1015, and today only the crypt and the footprint remain from that first church. Parts of the cathedral are still Romanesque, which is why you will see the older style blending into the newer one. The Gothic chapter began in 1176, and it took generations. The nave occupied the entire 13th century, and the delicate spire was completed in 1439. All of this was the work of a succession of about 50 master builders. The name of Erwin von Steinbach is associated with a redesign in the 1260s, with proposals for ambitious architectural features and decoration. At the time, Strasbourg was under German rule, and the project was conceived as the most modern building in the Holy Roman Empire. Look closely at the stone itself. It is sandstone from the Vosges mountains, in pink or brown tones, which gives the whole cathedral its warm color. And notice the contrast between the chancel and the facade. The two parts of the building belong to different moments in a very long story.

3. 03

   A Daring Design and a Famous Admirer

   Strasbourg Cathedral is widely considered one of the finest examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture. It is also part of an important story in the history of design. Together with Cologne Cathedral, it holds some of the earliest surviving architectural drawings, the kind of blueprints that let medieval builders plan something this ambitious. What made the project bold was its attitude toward local tradition. Unlike other buildings in Germany, the builders of Strasbourg did not adopt the architectural features particular to the region. Instead they embraced the modern Gothic language, a collaboration of French and German culture. Its spire is described as the tallest medieval spire in Europe. The cathedral has inspired some famous words. In 1839, Victor Hugo called it a gigantic and delicate marvel. Before him, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was so taken by it that he wrote an essay titled On German Architecture, describing the cathedral as a sublimely towering, wide-spreading tree of God. Stand back, look up through all that branching stonework, and you may see what he meant.

4. 04

   Survivor of Reformation, Revolution and War

   A cathedral that has stood for centuries has seen a great deal of turmoil. During the Reformation, the cathedral became a Protestant church, and Strasbourg, a printing capital, became a center from which reformers spread pamphlets and hymn books. Protestant and Revolutionary iconoclasm, as well as the war periods of 1681, 1870 and 1940 to 1944, took a toll on some of its finest features, including the choir screen of 1252 and the successive high altars of about 1500 and 1682. Some treasures and fragments are displayed in the Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, projectiles set fire to the roofs of the nave and the choir. During the First World War, all the bells except the great heavy one were removed. In the Second World War, the cathedral's stained glass windows went on a journey of their own. The French first hid them in southwestern France, then they were carted to northern Germany, and finally they were saved and returned by the Monuments Men, the British and American troops dedicated to returning art to its rightful place after 1945. Inside, you can still admire works that endured, such as the pulpit carved from white sandstone in 1486 and a baptismal font in the north transept, sculpted in 1453 by Jost Dotzinger.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Strasbourg Cathedral rewards slow looking. Inside, the building is full of art and of enigmatic details left by the masons and artisans who worked on it over the centuries. It also has a built-in meridian that marks the spring and autumn equinoxes, and there is talk of a mysterious green ray of light. It is worth wondering what else the builders tucked away for patient eyes. When you step back outside, notice the neighborhood too. Right beside the cathedral stands the Palais Rohan, the former residence of the bishops and cardinals, designed by Robert de Cotte and finished in 1742, a fine example of French Baroque. Across the city, street signs are often bilingual, in French and in the Alsatian dialect, a small everyday echo of the cathedral's two-sided heritage. So take your time. Walk around it, look up, and let the pink stone change as the light moves. Every angle tells a slightly different part of the story.