Brixen Cathedral general view from Domplatz

The Cathedral of Brixen (german: Brixner Dom, it, Duomo di Bressanone) is a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

in the city of

Brixen Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic and ...

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

, Italy. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to

Cassian of Imola Cassian, or Saint Cassian of Imola, or Cassius was a Christian saint of the 4th century. His feast day is August 13. Life Little is known about his life, although the traditional accounts converge on some of the details of his martyrdom. He was ...

. Since the foundation it has been the

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

of the Diocese of Brixen. In 1964, the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Bolzano-Brixen The Diocese of Bolzano-Brixen (german: Diözese Bozen-Brixen, it, Diocesi di Bolzano-Bressanone, la, Dioecesis Bauzanensis-Brixinensis) is a Catholic diocese in northern Italy, with its seat in the city of Bolzano. Its territory corresponds wit ...

was created, and the see was moved to

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

. The cathedral currently has the status of

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

. The cathedral is known since the 980s. The original building was

Ottonian The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxons, Saxon dynasty of List of German monarchs, German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I, Holy Roman Empe ...

. By 1174, it was rebuilt in the

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

, as the three-nave basilica as well as the two towers were completed. In 1745-1754 it was further rebuilt in the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style. The frescoes depicting the Adoration of the Lamb (1748-1750) are by

Paul Troger Paul Troger (30 October 1698 – 20 July 1762) was an Austrian painter, draughtsman, and printmaker of the late Baroque period. Troger's illusionistic ceiling paintings in fresco are notable for their dramatic vitality of movement and their pale ...

, and the main altar is by Theodor Benedetti. There is also a Gothic statue of the Virgin by

Hans Leinberger Hans Leinberger, sometimes given as Lemberger (c.1475/1480 – after 1531) was a Late Gothic sculptor from Altbayern, who worked in wood, metal and stone. Life and work His exact birthplace is unknown, as is the place and manner of his arti ...

. The pipe organ was made in 1980 by

Orgelbau Pirchner Orgelbau Pirchner is an Austrian manufacturer of pipe organs, located in Steinach am Brenner, Tirol. History The company was founded in 1817 by Franz Reinisch in Gries am Brenner, http://orgeln.musikland-tirol.at/ob/Reinisch-Joseph.html but mo ...

. A cloister next to the cathedral is covered with Romanesque and Gothis frescoes.

References

{{coord, 46.71588, 11.65768, format=dms, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title Brixen Churches in South Tyrol