Salzburg Cathedral Interior – Austria’s Sacred Destination

I am glad the Salzburg Cathedral at Domplatz was in my plan to visit during the walking tour of Salzburg Austria! This cathedral is famous as the baptism site of Mozart. The facade is simple, but the Salzburg Cathedral interior is stunning. The church towers have green domes, and there are many statues and a very impressive door.

There are 27 churches in Salzburg city. However, Salzburg Cathedral has the most significant church architecture in the city. Don’t forget to have a glimpse of Door of Hope and the Horse Fountain there before you enter the cathedral.

The Cathedral is a prominent part of historic center of Salzburg. It got status of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Salzburg Cathedral history is important because of its fiery past and how it survived more than 10 fires and consecrated thrice.

View of Salzburg Cathedral Austria from one of the Domquartier museums.

Salzburg Dom Facade

The body of the church is made of dark grey stone with ornamentation at different layers. The façade, of bright Untersberg marble, is framed by two towers and topped by a curved gable.

Salzburg Church History

Can you guess how old is the Salzburg cathedral? The Salzburg Cathedral is more than four centuries old and was built in 1614-1628AD. It has a history of being burned down by fire several times. The first church in this location was by Saint Rupert in 774 on the remnants of a Roman town. In 842AD this building burned down due to a lightning strike. Several expansions and modifications were carried out in the following centuries.

In 1181 after a fire a cathedral was rebuilt in the same place. With the influences of medieval architecture the church turned out to be a Romanesque Basilica.

Salzburg Cathedral Facade

The eighth fire in 1598 damaged the monument badly, with the roof too collapsing, nothing left except some parts of the crypt. The cathedral underwent a major reconstruction phase of seven years. However all efforts for its restoration failed and finally it was demolished completely.

Construction for new cathedral of Salzburg started in 1614. The church is 466 feet long and 109 feet high at the crossing/dome. Definitely a must see of you are ever there.

Salzburg was an excellent location to settle in the ancient and early medieval era. The location of the town favored the settlements; because of the mountains, the river, and of course, because of the salt.

But with lot of turbulations in history of Salzburg city and many significant events and constructions, like the monastery founded here, none of the church of Saint Peter’s dates back to that time.

Marian column in Domplatz

The Madonna statue in the center of the Domplatz was made by Johann Baptist Hagenauer between 1766 and 1771. Other figures depict angels, devil, and allegories of truth and the church.

Marian column in Domplatz

Salzburg Cathedral Organ

Salzburg Cathedral Organ

The organ that is in use for services today was built in 1988. The old organ of the Salzburger Dom is the one built by the famous organ builder Josef Christoph Egedacher in 1703. Organ recitals are conducted every Wednesday and Saturday at 11.15 from June to September. The recital lasts for about one hour.

Mozart was the organist here for two years. I can only imagine it; organs playing, the balconies filled with musicians…glorious surround-sound…

It is believed Joseph Mohr, the composer of Christmas carol, “Silent Night,” was baptized here.

Salzburg Cathedral Interior

Salzburg Dom Bombed in WWII

The story of damages doesn’t end there. In 1859 the building caught fire once more and during WWII it was damaged massively in a bombing. Central dome shattered to pieces because of the bombing. Today’s version is the rebuilt cathedral of 1945 to 1959.

Salzburg Cathedral Interior

Interiors Domquartier Austria Domplatz

Central Dome Salzburg Cathedral

The church has simple sepia-and-white interior. It is decorated with elaborate Baroque murals. I don’t understand too many of the architectural terms, all I can say it is beautiful and peaceful. Sitting in one of the benches, staring at the ceilings and painted walls, time just flew.

The dome is the most impressive feature of the Salzburg Cathedral. It is at a height of 232 feet (71 meters).

Altar – Salzburg Cathedral Interior

Interior of Cathedral in Salzburg Austria

The statue of Virgin Mary dates back to 18th century. Built in short span of 14 years (1614–1628), it is huge with dimensions of 330 feet long and 230 feet tall. When Pope John Paul II visited in 1998, some 5,000 people assembled in this very hall.

Colorful Frescos in Salzburg Cathedral ceiling

Salzburg Dom Crypt

The crypt on the right side of the main altar has the remains of the first two churches. You can also see the tombs of many of Salzburg’s archbishops.

Salzburg Cathedral Frescos

I was blown away by the sheer beauty and clarity of the ceiling and wall frescos.  It displays 16 frescos in two rows, each depicting a scene from the Old Testament. The works are connected to those on the cathedral’s nave, all painted by Italian artists, Donato Mascagni and Ignazio Solari. The ceiling frescoes, depict the scenes from Christ’s life, His suffering and resurrection.

Colorful Frescos in Salzburg Dom

Salzburg Cathedral Interesting Fact

At exactly 3PM, all seven bells of Salzburg church ring together for a couple of minutes. The bells have names ranging from Barbara (the smallest) to Salvator (the biggest). Salvator bell weighs 14,256 kilograms and is the biggest and heaviest bell in Austria after the “Pummerin” at St. Stephan’s in Vienna.

Travel Tips to Salzburg Dom

Admission Fees – Salzburg cathedral in Austria is a free sight. There is no entry fee for Salzburg cathedral.

Open Timings – Opening hours change depending on the months. Salzburg Dom is open from 8AM to 7PM on all days of the week except Sunday. On Sunday the church is open to all from 1PM to 7PM. During winter months it is from 8AM to 5PM and 1PM to 5PM respectively.

Sunday Masses in Salzburg – Salzburg Cathedral – 9AM. The crypt is closed during masses.

Music in Cathedral – after 12 noon after the church bells for half an hour. The musical offer involves two organists who make different organs and organ combinations resound. Tickets for this cost 6 Euros.

Concerts in the Cathedral – Do check out for the timings.

Location of Salzburg Cathedral – Dom zu Salzburg, Domplatz 1a, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.

Nearby Sights

• Cathedral Museum that has impressive and precious exhibits that includes art treasures from 1300 years of church history including the Cross of St. Rupert from the eighth century
• The Prince-Archbishops’ private staterooms in the Residence Palace
• The Museum of St Peter’s Abbey that has historical artifacts and information about the history of the oldest monastery in the German speaking world.
• Also read my travel blog post here- Salzburg, Things to Do

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(This was posted first on Aug 18, 2011.)