Constructed in: 1517
Typology: church / chapel
Tags:
"St. Martin's Cathedral" or "Domkerk" in #Utrecht is the tallest church in the Netherlands. Construction of the gothic structure began in 1254 after a fire destroyed the earlier romanesque building from 1023. The 112-meter Dom Tower, the city's iconic landmark, was built between 1321 and 1382.The church originated from a chapel founded around 630 AD, rebuilt by Saint Willibrord, then reconstructed after Norman destruction in the 10th century. It served as the bishop's principal seat in the Middle Ages, linked to Holy Roman Emperors like Conrad II and Henry V, whose remains were partly interred there. Building continued into the 16th century but was never fully completed due to funding issues. Iconoclasm in 1566 damaged its ornaments, and in 1580 it became Protestant. The nave tragically collapsed in a 1674 storm and was never rebuilt, leaving the tower isolated across the Domplein square from the surviving choir and transept.
