After the Reformation, the cathedral became a de facto dual church (Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran) in 1524.[3] It was the first dual church in Germany and one of three such churches in East Germany. After long disputes between Lutherans and Catholics, the Bautzen Council and the cathedral chapter concluded a first contract in 1543 that regulated the use of the church by both denominations. The choir was designated for Catholic worship, the nave for Protestant worship. The border ran along the rood screen. Further contracts followed in the 16th century during the time of the cathedral dean Johann Leisentrit, including those concerning external properties such as the Gaußig parish. During the Bohemian Uprising (1619/20), the Catholic "Collegiate Chapter of St. Peter" was expelled from the cathedral for a short time. Afterwards, the old state was restored.
Pope Benedict XV. re-established the diocese of Meissen in 1921 with its seat in Bautzen. Since the bishop's seat was moved to Dresden in 1980, the Bautzen Cathedral has been a co-cathedral of the diocese of Dresden-Meissen.
Floor plan from 1825 with axial kink
The St. Peter's Cathedral is one of the church buildings with a pronounced axial kink. There are many different explanations for this deviation from the straight line, but none of them can be assumed to be certain. One explanation for this is that the cathedral was initially built in place of or on the foundations of another church and that the church was expanded based on the surrounding urban development.
In addition, the construction of a second church tower was apparently planned. This is particularly evident in the asymmetrical design when looking up at the long side of the building in front of the main entrance.
Interior with Protestant (front) and Catholic altar (back)
The tower has an external elevator that the watchman uses to pull up his purchases. As of 2014, a watchman still lives on the tower.[4]
The 83 m high cathedral tower can be climbed as an observation tower on some weekends. After 238 steps you reach the observation floor above the watchman's room at a height of around 53 m and are at the highest point in the city that is open to the public.
Source: wikipedia