Essen Minster (Essener Dom)

The Essen Minster — cathedral since 1958 — is a medieval church that has been almost continuously rebuilt, extended, and modified since the tenth century, when it served the convent of noble women that was the original core of the settlement. The resulting architecture is a layered palimpsest of different medieval periods rather than any single coherent style.

The adjacent Cathedral Treasury is the most important reason to visit: it holds some of the finest medieval ecclesiastical art objects in Germany, including the Golden Madonna (circa 980 AD), a seven-branched golden candelabrum from the eleventh century, and several elaborately worked crosses and reliquaries. The treasury occupies a modern building purpose-built to display the collection with proper lighting and security.

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A story
The Essen Cathedral Treasury holds the Golden Madonna of Essen — a small, gilt-covered figure of the Virgin Mary dating from around 980 AD, which is considered the oldest surviving sculpture of Mary in the Western world. The figure is made of carved wood covered in gold leaf and was likely used in processions. Despite its age, the facial features and the details of the drapery are still precisely readable.