The Basilica of St. Cunibert is a Catholic church in the center of Cologne, overlooking the Rhine. Pope John Paul II declared it a minor basilica in 1998. It is the last of Cologne's twelve Romanesque churches to be built. Cunibert, the ninth Bishop of Cologne, founded or renewed it and was buried there. It was originally dedicated to Saint Clement.
The present church was begun between 1210 and 1215. The choir was finished in 1226, and it was consecrated in 1247. The transept and western tower were added by 1261. The monastery was dissolved in 1802 and its buildings were demolished in 1821.
Eight medieval apse windows from about 1220 to 1230 show Saint Clement, the Tree of Jesse, Saint Cunibert, Ursula, Cordula, Catherine, Cecilia and John the Baptist. The church was heavily damaged in World War II, and the work was finished in 1985.
Comments