Essen Minster

Essen Minster, also known as the Essen Cathedral or Essener Münster, is the principal historic church in the city of Essen in North Rhine-Westphalia. The site originated as the collegiate church of Essen Abbey, a medieval religious foundation with roots in the early Middle Ages.

The minster is best known for its medieval art and liturgical objects, most notably the gilt sculpture known as the Golden Madonna from the 10th century, and for the Cathedral Treasury which holds Ottonian and medieval liturgical pieces. Visitors examine the preserved medieval fabric, the treasury displays and the church interior restored after wartime damage.

Essen’s ecclesiastical foundation dates back to the 9th and 10th centuries as a women’s religious community; the current building incorporates fabric from many periods and was substantially repaired and restored after damage in the 20th century. In the modern era the church is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Essen.

The minster stands in the historic centre of Essen and is accessible from the city centre and transport hubs of the Ruhr metropolitan area.

• Golden Madonna: Contains the Golden Madonna, one of the oldest known three-dimensional sculptures of the Virgin in Western Europe, dating to the 10th century.
• Diocesan role: Serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Essen, a diocese created in the 20th century to serve the industrial Ruhr region.

What to See #

• Cathedral Treasury: Houses a medieval treasury containing major ecclesiastical works, including a famed gilt sculpture of the Virgin Mary dating to the 10th century and other Ottonian liturgical objects.
• Westwerk and crypt: The westwork and choir area reflect the abbey's origins; the church retains a crypt associated with the early medieval foundation of the Essen convent.