Twin Churches

The Cathedral of St Peter and the Liebfrauenkirche are medieval twins, built on the site of an ancient Roman double church; the latter, part of the ecclesiastical structures built at the command of the Emperor Constantine, soon after his conversion to Christianity in the 4th century. While most of these grand buildings were destroyed by the Franks and Normans in the 9th century, many were reconstructed in some way. Eventually, these ancient structures were torn down in the 13th century, to make way for the two churches that stand in Trier today. The cathedral, known locally as the Trier Dom, is built in the Romanesque style which was just going out of favour at the time, and completed in 1270. The Liebfrauenkirche is of the French Gothic style, which was just emerging at the time, and was completed in 1260. Both are functioning churches of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trier.

While the Cathedral of St Peter is of the Romanesque style, it has been added to at great length during the subsequent centuries and includes Gothic vaulting and a Baroque chapel; the latter housing the Seamless Robe of Jesus, a garment believed to have been worn by Christ at the time of His crucifixion. The cathedral is also home to what is claimed to be a nail from the True Cross, and the skull of St Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine.

The adjoining Liebfrauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady, is probably the most perfect example of the centralised construction in French Gothic Architecture visible today and, along with the Cathedral of Magdeburg, is the oldest Gothic church in Germany.
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