Danube River Cruise #52: St. Stephen's Big Organ and Onion Towers

St. Stephen's organ

In today's blog about Passau, Germany we're going to show you St. Stephen's big organ. Now, keep it clean. It's actually a pipe organ, and it's huge! 
  In this blog we'll tell you who St. Stephen was, why he was stoned (with actual rocks), a brief concert and church "onions"!    Read on!

ABOUT ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH- St. Stephen's Cathedral is a baroque church in Passau, Germany. Since 730, there have been many churches built on the site of the current cathedral. The current church, a baroque building around 100 meters (328 ft) long, was built from 1668 to 1693 after a fire in 1662 destroyed its predecessor, of which only the late gothic eastern side remains. The cathedral's overall plan was made by Carlo Lurago, its interior decoration by Giovanni Battista Carlone, and its frescos by Carpoforo Tencalla.

St. Stephen's Cathedral- Stonig of St Stephen statue

door handles

WE BRIEFLY ATTENDED THE ORGAN CONCERT - The organ concert is a big deal in the church, and it seems that every tourist wants to hear it. So, we went along, too. Although Tom plays the piano, neither one of us are big fans of church organs, and after about 10 minutes we left. The organist was talented, but it sounded like a funeral dirge to us. 


HOW BIG IS THE ORGAN? - According to the website AtlasObscura.com, the organ at St. Stephen’s took shape gradually over the course of centuries. The contemporary version consists of five separate organs in varying tonal styles amounting to 17,774 pipes, 223 registers, and four chimes. Each portion of the organ was built separately, possesses its own unique tone, and can be played as a standalone instrument by way of its own console.

St Stephen's Nave

St. Stephen's Pulpit

WHO WAS ST. STEPHEN & WHY STONED TO DEATH? Accused of blasphemy at his trial, he made a long speech denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment on him and was then stoned to death. His martyrdom was witnessed by Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee who would later become a follower of Jesus and known as Paul the Apostle.
STATUE: STONING OF ST. STEPHEN - There's a statue in the church that depicts the stoning of St. Stephen. The martyrdom of Saint Stephen is recounted in Acts 7 of the bible. This young deacon in the Christian community of Jerusalem was sentenced to death by stoning.

THE 2 CHURCH ONION DOMES - An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion and is usually associated with Russian architectural style. 

St Stephens from a distance

There are 2 of them on St. Stephen's Church. 

HIGHEST POINT - The church was built on the highest point in the city of Passau, Germany, to ensure it would never be flooded (like a good portion of the town below). 

ornate lockset on the doors

FAST FACT - "Holy Water" is the local name for German beer. 


NEXT: Color-coded signs, and a deadly flower garden

ornate plaster work and statues in the nave.

FOLLOWING: A Dachshund Museum!