, native_name_lang = , image = Stuttgart-st eberhard.jpg , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape = , caption = , pushpin map = Baden-Württemberg , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , relief = , map caption = , coordinates = , osgraw = , osgridref = , location = Stauffenbergstraße 3

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, country =

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, denomination =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, previous denomination = , churchmanship = , membership = , attendance = , website = , former name = , bull date = , founded date = , founder = , dedication = , dedicated date = , consecrated date = October 1, 1811 , cult = , relics = , events = , past bishop = , people = , status = Co-cathedral
(also

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

) , functional status = Active , heritage designation = , designated date = , architect = , architectural type =

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 ...

, style = , years built = 10th century (parish)
1808-1811
1955 (rebuilt) , groundbreaking = , completed date = , construction cost = , closed date = , demolished date = , capacity = , length = , width = , width nave = , height = , diameter = , other dimensions = , floor count = , floor area = , dome quantity = , dome height outer = , dome height inner = , dome dia outer = , dome dia inner = , tower quantity = 1 , spire quantity = , spire height = , materials = , bells = , bells hung = , bell weight = , parish = St Eberhard , deanery = , archdeaconry = , episcopalarea = , archdiocese = , metropolis = , diocese =

Rottenburg-Stuttgart The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, '' B ...

, province = Freiburg im Breisgau (aka Upper Rhenish) , presbytery = , synod = , circuit = , district = , division = , subdivision = , archbishop = , bishop = , abbot = , prior = , subprior = , vicar = , exarch = , provost-rector = , provost = , viceprovost = , rector =

Msgr Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

Dr. Christian Hermes , dean = , subdean = , archpriest = , precentor = , succentor = , chancellor = , canonchancellor = , canon = , canonpastor = , canonmissioner = , canontreasurer = , prebendary = , priestincharge = , priest = , asstpriest = , honpriest = , curate = , asstcurate = , minister = , assistant = , seniorpastor = , pastor = , assocpastor = , asstpastor = , chaplain = , archdeacon = , deacon = , deaconness = , reader = , student intern = , organistdom = , director
Martin Dücker
br>('' Domkapellmeister'')Andreas Großberger
br>('' Domkantor'') , assistantorganist = , elder = , organist
Johannes Mayr
, organscholar = , chapterclerk = , laychapter = , warden = , verger = , businessmgr = , liturgycoord = , reledu = , rcia = , youthmin = , flowerguild = , musicgroup = , parishadmin = , serversguild = , logo = , logosize = , logolink = , logoalt = , embedded = Stuttgart Cathedral or St Eberhard's Cathedral (''Domkirche St. Eberhard'', previously ''Stadtpfarrkirche St. Eberhard'') is a church in the German city of

. It is dedicated to Saint

Eberhard of Salzburg Eberhard was Archbishop of Salzburg, Austria. Eberhard was born to a noble family of Nuremberg, Germany; he became a Benedictine in 1125 at Pruffening, Germany. Later he was made Abbot of Biburg near Regensburg. In 1146 Pope Innocent II ap ...

. Since 1978, it has been co-cathedral of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, '' B ...

, whose main cathedral is

Rottenburg Cathedral , image = Rottenburgerdom.jpg , caption = Rottenburg Cathedral , pushpin map = Baden-Württemberg , coordinates = , location = Rottenburg am Neckar , country = Germany , denomination = Roman Catholic , website = , cult = , status = Cat ...

- the church's promotion marked the 150th anniversary of the diocese and its renaming as the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. The parish dates back to the Medieval era while the current building was completed in 1955, eleven years after it was mostly destroyed by Allied air raids in 1944.

History

Early years

Liudolf erected a small church around 950 and remnants of the old collegiate church (''stiftskirche'') were discovered under the nave of the current Cathedral. The fortunes of the Cathedral has largely been determined by the religion of the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then called ...

, who ruled the area which comprises the present-day state

, of which

is the capital. Catholicism was banned when the family converted to Protestantism. In its early years, the church was administered by the friars of

Altenburg Abbey Altenburg Abbey (german: Stift Altenburg) is a Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Altenburg, Lower Austria. It is situated about to the north of Krems an der Donau in the Waldviertel. It was founded in 1144，by Countess Hildeburg o ...

. During the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

became mainly Protestant and Catholic mass was banned from the city from 1535 until the Peace of Augsburg was signed in 1555. Stuttgart became Catholic again after the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

and its allies triumphed over the Protestant forces in the Battle of Nördlingen. The church came under the administration of the Jesuits, who notably desecrated the grave of theologian and Reformer

Johannes Brenz Johann (Johannes) Brenz (24 June 1499 – 11 September 1570) was a German Lutheran theologian and the Protestant Reformer of the Duchy of Württemberg. Early advocacy of the Reformation Brenz was born in the then Imperial City of Weil der S ...

. Catholic mass was once again banned with the signing of the

Treaty of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peac ...

. The '' Stiftskirche'' became a Protestant church and many restrictions were placed on the Catholic population. These restrictions began to be relaxed as the now

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...

became secularised (see

German mediatization German mediatisation (; german: deutsche Mediatisierung) was the major territorial restructuring that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany and the surrounding region by means of the mass mediatisation and secularisation In sociology, s ...

), although Protestantism remained the dominant and ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' state religion. The government allowed for a designated priest to minister to the Catholic population; one such priest was

Johann Baptist von Keller Johann Baptist von Keller (16 May 1774 – 17 October 1845) was a German Catholic priest from Salem. He served as the first Bishop of Rottenburg. Keller was consecrated a priest in 1797 and was called to Württemberg in 1808. In 1816, he ...

The "new" church

In 1808, the foundation stone for the new Catholic church was laid with little fanfare. It was completed in 1811 and consecrated by Bishop

Franz Karl Joseph Fürst von Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst Franz Joseph Xaver Karl Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst (27 November 1745, Waldenburg – 9 October 1819, Augsburg) was a Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop and bishop of Augsburg (the first after it ceased to be the Prince-Bishop ...

, the General Vicar of Wurttemberg, later

Bishop of Augsburg Diocese of Augsburg is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich.Eberhard of Salzburg Eberhard was Archbishop of Salzburg, Austria. Eberhard was born to a noble family of Nuremberg, Germany; he became a Benedictine in 1125 at Pruffening, Germany. Later he was made Abbot of Biburg near Regensburg. In 1146 Pope Innocent II ap ...

was chosen but later Eberhard of Nellenburg ( de), founder of

Kloster Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen Kloster Allerheiligen (All Saints abbey) is a former Benedictine monastery in the Swiss municipality of Schaffhausen in the Canton of Schaffhausen. The church ''Münster Allerheiligen'' is the oldest building in Schaffhausen, and houses also the ' ...

, was the preferred choice. During Nazi rule, theologian

Helmut Thielicke Helmut Thielicke (; 4 December 1908 in Wuppertal – 5 March 1986 in Hamburg) was a German Protestant theologian and rector of the University of Hamburg from 1960 to 1978. Biography Thielicke grew up in Wuppertal, where he went to a humanistic ...

was based at Stuttgart and gave lectures and sermons at the cathedral. The rectory and most of the church, along with many important buildings in the city, were destroyed during the

bombing of Stuttgart in World War II The bombing of Stuttgart in World War II was a series of 53 air raids that formed part of the strategic air offensive of the Allies against Germany. The first bombing (by 20 aircraft of the Royal Air Force) occurred on August 25, 1940, and resulte ...

in 1944. In his book ''Man of God'', Thielicke described the scene: "I can still see the towering torch of this venerable house of God. .....and I stood there holding in my hand a key to a door that no longer existed..."

Post-war era

From 1948 to 1955, parishioners worshiped at a repaired section of the ''Kunstgebäude Stuttgart'' ( en, Arts Building) ( de) on the Schlossplatz while the church was being rebuilt. It was reopened in 1955, having been rebuilt in a simplified, modernist style. In 1978 it was elevated from

(german: Stadtpfarrkirche) to co-cathedral status. The Diocese of Rottenburg was subsequently renamed Rottenburg-Stuttgart to reflect the change in status.

Organ

The organ was built in 1982 by renowned German organ builder Winfried Albiez ( de). With 56

stop Stop may refer to: Places * Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Facilities * Bus stop * Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck d ...

s and 3700 pipes, it is the largest organ constructed by Albiez and one of the most important organs of the state capital. A second smaller organ in the choir was built in 2006.

Specifications of the main organ

Specification of the choir organ

Notable burials

, reformer

References

Bibliography

*Egon Hopfenzitz (ed.): ''Kirche im Herzen der Stadt. 200 Jahre Religionsfreiheit in Württemberg, 200 Jahre Pfarrgemeinde St. Eberhard in Stuttgart.'' Schwabenverlag, Ostfildern 2006,

External links

Official site

Stuttgart Cathedral music department
{{Authority control 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Germany

Roman Catholic cathedrals in Baden-Württemberg 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Germany Roman Catholic churches completed in 1955