Worms - Cathedral

Worms, one of the oldest towns in Germany, was an early bishopric in the valley of the Rhine river and an important palatinate of Charlemagne, who built a palace here.

Burchard of Worms, bishop since 1000, had the older carolingian church dismantled and started the construction of the cathedral, dedicated to St Peter. In 1018 this church got consecrated - the first time.

In 1122 the Concordat of Worms was signed here, ending the Investiture Controversy. In 1521 the Diet of Worms, a general assembly of the estates of the Holy Roman Empire, took place here, presided by Emperor Charles V. Martin Luther said the sentence "Here I stand. I can do no other. May God help me" here. After that he was declared an outlaw.

Parts of the basilica collapsed and got rebuilt. The most parts of the cathedral seen today was constructed between 1125 and the end of that century. The church has two choirs (east and west) and is 110 meters long. During the Nine Years' War, the french troops tried to blew up the building, but failed.

The façade of western choir is clearly influenced by architectural ideas from Burgundy, probably from Cluny. So all around the choir are lots of carvings showing strange creatures making grimaces to the people on the ground - and small men in anger and in danger.

Most carvings here are from the local red sandstone and weathered, so they look older as the impressing lions from the eastern side.

Here a small peasant returning from the field. He carries his shovel or hoe on the shoulder. He had worked the whole days and so he is very tired and scratches his long beard. He is not at all aware, that the terrifying hellhound is just behind him. The creature will grab him within the next second - and throw him into the center of hell.