Speyer Cathedral

Timeline

1. 1030Speyer · Rhineland-PalatinateEmperor Conrad II chose a site beside the old town of Speyer to build an imperial cathedral of unprecedented scale, intending it as the spiritual and political symbol of the Salian dynasty, and laid down the basic plan and structural framework of the Romanesque cathedral.
2. 1041Speyer Cathedral construction site · SpeyerWith the support of Henry III, the main structures—the nave, transept, and west towers—advanced steadily in the 1040s; stone vaults and the symmetrical facade gradually took shape, embodying the architectural ambition and Romanesque aesthetic norms of the empire at its height.
3. 1061Speyer Cathedral · SpeyerThe cathedral was consecrated in 1061 under Henry IV; Conrad II and his consort and successive Salian emperors were buried here, and Speyer Cathedral thus became an imperial mausoleum and a model of Romanesque architecture, influencing subsequent church design along the Rhine.