Augsburg Travel Tip:
St. Ulrich's and St. Afra's Abbey
Interior of the Abbey of Saint Ulrich and Saint Afra, Augsburg
The Basilica of St. Ulrich and Afra is one of the last major late-gothic church buildings in Schwabia. The typical onion-domed tower became an archetype for baroque churches in Bavaria. The Basilica’s richly decorated Renaissance- and Baroque-styled interior blends harmonically into the gothic structure.
Since the 8th century, this has been a site for sacred structures hosting pilgrimages honoring St. Afra (d. 304). In 973, Augsburg’s Bishop Ulrich was entombed near Afra; since 1012, Augsburg’s Benedictine Cloister of St. Ulrich and Afra have looked after these sacred sites.
Construction on the Benedictine monastery’s brick abbey church began in 1474 and was finished in 1500 by Burkhard Engelberg, who also built the Ulm Cathedral tower. In 1500, Emperor Maximilian I laid the cornerstone for the foundation of the choir. Due to the religious conflicts in the 16th century, the choir was not completed until 1603/04. After the 30-year War, when the church properties were divided, the twin churches were separated and one became Catholic, the other Lutheran.
[ Source: http://www2.augsburg.de/index.php?id=12451 ]
Related: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Ulrich%27s_and_St._Afra%27s_Abbey,_Augsburg
Tags: Augsburg, Basilica, Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance
Location of St. Ulrich's and St. Afra's Abbey
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Augsburg is an independent city in the south-west of Bavaria. The College town is home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and also of the Bezirk Schwaben and the Landkreis Augsburg. In 1906 Augsburg became a Großstadt (city), and is currently the third-largest…
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