Catedral de Ribe (Ribe Domkirke)

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About Catedral de Ribe (Ribe Domkirke)

Ribe Cathedral stands on the site of the church founded by the missionary Ansgar in the 9th century, the first in Denmark. The stone cathedral was begun in the 12th century in the Romanesque style, using volcanic tuff brought by boat from the Rhine region because there was a shortage of stone on the surrounding plain. Over the centuries it gained brick Gothic parts and five naves.

The Torre dos Cidadãos (Borgertårnet), at the northwest corner, was erected by the townspeople in the 14th century as a watch and alarm tower against fire and flooding. The climb has more than 200 steps and ends at a viewing platform with views over Ribe's roofs, the marshes and, on clear days, the Mar de Wadden. Marks on the outer wall show the heights of past floods, such as that of 1634.

Inside, the apse was redecorated between 1983 and 1987 by the painter Carl-Henning Pedersen, of the CoBrA group, with mosaics, frescoes and stained glass in strong colors, a contrast to the medieval stone. The Cat's Door (Kathoveddøren), on the south side, has Romanesque sculptures from the 12th century.