The devilish legend
Trier, the beautiful city on the Moselle, is not only the oldest city in Germany, but also home to St. Peter’s Cathedral, the oldest church in Germany and also the oldest building in Germany. The legend of the cathedral stone is associated with this cathedral. According to the legend, the devil himself was involved in the construction of Trier Cathedral, which was commissioned by the Roman empress and saint Helena and her son, Emperor Constantine the Great. But why would the devil help build a church? The answer to this question is quite simple: he was cleverly tricked by the cathedral’s architect. The architect needed four heavy columns from the distant Odenwald forest. He asked the devil to procure them for him, telling him that he was building the largest tavern in the world. The devil was immediately enthusiastic about the construction of such a temple of sin and agreed immediately. So every week he dutifully dragged a column to the site. However, when he brought the last column, the bishop was just consecrating the building as a church. Beside himself with rage at this cunning deception, he hurled the last pillar at the cathedral, which broke and still lies in front of the entrance to the mighty west facade today. This four-meter-long black-gray diorite pillar, broken in two, weighs 65 tons and is popularly known as the Domstein. The cathedral stone is so famous that there is even a poem about it and a restaurant with a wine bar called “Zum Domstein” (To the Cathedral Stone), which is located not far from the cathedral and serves delicious food, as I was able to test for myself. I hope you enjoy my photos of Germany’s oldest bishop’s church, which combines over 1700 years of history from the 4th century to the present day in the 21st century.
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