Architecture,  Germany,  History

A visit to Cologne Cathedral

January 20, 2026 / 44 Comments

It all began when the Archbishop of Cologne, Reinald von Dassel, brought the supposed bones of the Three Wise Men from Milan to Cologne in 1164. Between 1190 and 1225, a valuable shrine with gold figures, stone trimmings and a pictorial history was made for these bones. … the placement of the bones in a precious shrine was not enough for the flow of pilgrims to some of the most precious relics of Christianity. It required the construction of a new, Gothic cathedral.

Visit Cologne website

Cologne’s cathedral has a long drawn-out history of construction, starting in 1248 and only finishing in 1880. At that point it was the highest building in the world at 157 metres tall! Today it is the world’s third largest Gothic-style cathedral and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The building looks rather sombre due to the almost black patina of its stones, the result of weathering and pollution. But this has the effect of throwing certain carvings into stronger relief, and at night it looks almost like lace.

The cathedral is free to enter, although of course donations are welcomed. Although seemingly rather dark and austere when we first entered, it proved to have some beautiful stained glass and interesting details. The cathedral miraculously escaped being destroyed by Allied bombing during WWII and although a lot of the windows were damaged, most have been restored.

I’ll pick out just a few highlights from the religious art works inside.

The Crucifix of Gero

The ancient Gerokreuz is a wooden cross donated by Archbishop Gero before his death in 976. It is therefore over a thousand years old! The crucifix and the crossbeam are original; the radiant sun behind the cross and the marble altar were added in 1683.

Paint added in 1904 concealed many of the original details from the piece. However it remains artistically and religiously very significant. It is the first surviving monumental sculpture from antiquity, and also the earliest depiction of the dead Christ on the cross on a monumental scale. It is also the first to depict him with closed eyes and a twisted, lifeless body.

The Gerokreuz and statue of St Christopher

St Christopher

The huge sculpture of St. Christopher stands 3.73 metres high and was carved from tuff stone around 1470 by Tilman van der Burch, the leading late Gothic sculptor in the Cologne area. The saint stands on a base with heraldic angels and strides through a river, his robes gathered high, carrying the Christ Child on his back. He seems hidden away behind a column in the south transept, but in medieval times, with the cathedral still under construction, this was the main entrance and would have been the first sight to greet worshippers. It was believed back then that the sight of the saint protected against sudden death from sin from dawn until dusk.

The Altarpiece of St Clare

The Klarenaltar dates from around 1350. It has  a double pair of wings, allowing for three different openings. The cathedral’s website shows it with its side panels fully open but they were partly closed when we visited so we couldn’t see the more elaborate paintings within.

Altarpiece of St Clare, c 1350
The Shrine of the Magi

In pride of place behind the high altar is a gold casket said to hold the relics of the Magi. It was crafted between approximately 1190 and 1220 by the workshop of the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun. It is decorated with gilded figures, filigree plaques set with precious and semi-precious stones, and enamel work on the columns, arches, and mouldings. The shrine is located behind a grille and in a dark area so hard to photograph, but I did my best!

The Shrine of the Magi

I’ll finish with a few other details that caught my eye. Click on any image in this gallery if you want to see a caption.

I visited Cologne in December 2025

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