The Abbey Church, home to the then third largest dome in Europe was consecrated in 1783.
The St. Blasius’ Cathedral was destroyed in a fire in 1874, less than 100 years after its consecration.
200 years after its first consecration, the cathedral underwent a complete restoration and the church obtained the current interior design: the white marble rotunda, in contrast with the dark benches and organ at the end of the monks’ choir.
The perimeter of the dome with a diameter of 36m matches exactly the distance between the floor and the apex of the vault. The 18m high towering columns carry the hemispherical dome (with a radius of 18m), which encircles the inner side of the vault and acts as a sort of inner shell. The chancel also measures 36m (2 x 18m) in total.
This harmony is also mirrored in the external construction of the building: the width of the facade, 50m, matches the height of the main dome.
Towering above the cathedral’s dome is the golden Imperial Orb with its cross acting as a reminder of an age when St. Blasien used to be an imperial abbey.
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