CATHEDRAL OF ST BARTHOLOMEW

St. Bartholomew’s is the main church of Frankfurt and was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the foundation of an earlier church from the Merovingian time. Since 1356, when the Golden Bull of 1356 was issued by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were elected in this collegiate church as kings in Germany, and from 1562 to 1792, emperors-elect were crowned here. e imperial elections were held in the chapel and the anointing and crowning of the emperors-elect as King of the Romans took place before the central altar believed to enshrine part of the head of St. Bartholomew. St. Bartholomew was seen as a symbol of national unity in Germany, especially during the 19th century. It was the largest church in Frankfurt and its role in imperial politics, including the crowning of medieval German emperors, made the church one of the most important buildings of imperial history. In 1867, St. Bartholomew’s was destroyed by a raging re and su ered severe damage; the interiors were badly burned. e building was reconstructed in the 1950s with the height of the spire being approximately 29 sqm.