Ribe Cathedral

Sydjylland, Ribe · Danmark · Church

A giant on Mandø raged at the building of the cathedral and hurled a stone at it. He missed — the stone lay in the Ribe river until 1970.

Legend says a giant out on Mandø was enraged that a cathedral was being raised in Ribe and threw an enormous stone at the works. He missed. The stone came to rest in a bend of the river by Riber-holme west of the town, where it lay until 1970. The church carries another legend in its masonry: the Cat's Head Door, where cat heads ringed by mice sit beside the door of the south transept, is explained by the tale of the poor brother who sold his cat to an island plagued by mice, grew rich, and in gratitude had the processional aisle built. The cathedral has stood since the twelfth century, built of tufa shipped up the Rhine and across the Wadden Sea. On the night of 11 October 1634 the storm surge broke over the whole west coast; the water forced its way into the church, and on the pillar behind the pulpit a mark still sits 1.7 metres above the floor showing how high it stood indoors.

FAQ

Hvor ligger Ribe Cathedral?

Ribe Cathedral ligger i Sydjylland, Ribe, Danmark.