05.06.2009

Hildesheim (bph) The Hildesheim cathedral will be restored and restructured for an amount of 24,5 mio euros until the diocesejubilee in 2015. The flanking St. Antoniuskirche will be restructured to be the cathedral-museum. For this purpose the cathedral is expected to be closed in January 2010 and shall be reopened at Maria Himmelfahrt on 15 August 2014.

South side of Hildesheim cathedral; Image: bph

Since the rebuilding of the cathedral in the 1950s the bishops’ church neither wasn’t modified nor restructured. Besides the building doesn’t meet the appropriate requirements according to liturgical and aesthetic ideas. The plans of architect Prof. Johannes Schilling from Cologne therefor include a radical renovation, modernizing of the technics and ensuring an adequate fire prevention. As well the roof is to be remaked and a new loudspeaker system is to be installed.

The restoration of the cathedral shall recondition its romanic arrangement.Therefor the diocesan chapter as being the building owner, is going to displace the Bernward-door and to shift it inside, to have a better protection against effects of the weather. The architectplan includes to rotate the door, so that the face of the door would be outwards, as intended of the donor, hl. Bernward. The organgallery is replaced by a self-supporting construction and the stairs in the north-transept are being removed. In the course of the renovation of the floor heating system the floor in the cathedral can be sunk easily on the original ground line and a new access to the crypt will be created. There comes into being a new sepulchre for deceased bishops.
The chancel is also to be sunk. The Hezilo-candlesticks return to their original location in the middle of the Cathedral, for them the Azelin-candlesticks, which are for the time being in St. Antoniuskirche, are positoned in the choir. The font will be placed in the middle of the nave.

The cathedral-museum of the diocese obtains absolute new rooms. It moves into St. Antoniuskirche, which is restructured. Within the appreciable larger exhibition area the precious exhibits, which belong to the UNESCO world heritage of manhood, are eventually appropriately presented. Besides a lot more exhibits of the treasure of the cathedral-museum can be shown.

The estimated costs of restoration and restructuring of the cathedral as well as the reconstruction of St. Antoniuskirche presumably are 24,5 mio euros. The diocese Hildesheim contributes 7,3 mio. euros taken off equity capital. The diocese estimates 14,9 million euros to be given by public investors, as among others the European Union, land of Lower Saxony and different foundations and aid organisations. The land of Lower Saxony has permitted two million euros and the Bonifatius aid organisation of catholics holds out one million euros. Of course the diocese relies on donations. 2,3 million euros have to be raised that way.

The construction work in cathedral and Antoniuskirche presumably begins in 2010 and will take about four years. Until the 1200th birthday of the diocese in 2015 the conctruction work has to be completed