The Cathedral of St. Stephen in Passau is a rebuilt from 1668 baroque episcopal church. It is bishop seat and main church of the bishopric of Passau. The cathedral was built on the highest elevation of the Old Town between the rivers Inn and Danube, 13 meters above the Danube and 303 meters above sea level. The Passau Cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals with the largest baroque church interior north of the Alps.
The five organs of the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Passau were built in the years 1978 to 1980 and 1993 by the Passau organ builder Eisenbarth to plans by Walther R. Schuster using parts of the previous Steinmeyer organ from 1928. The main organ with 126 stops is located on the central west gallery and is flanked on the right by the Gospel organ - a solo work in the style of French romanticism - and on the left by the Epistle organ in the style of Italian organs of the 16th and 17th centuries. Above the third vaulted yoke of the nave is the Fernorgel in the roof of the cathedral, which sends its sounds into the nave via the so-called Heilig-Geist-Loch. In the choir there is finally the choir organ, whose disposition is based on organs of North German Baroque. All five organs can be played together from the five-manual main game table in the middle west gallery. Overall, the organ has 233 stops, 17,974 pipes and four carillon games. Thus, the five organs together - measured by the number of rows of pipes (333) - form the largest organ system in Europe, as well as the fifth largest organ in the world.
As early as 1467 there was an organ in the Vierungs area. In 1688 Leopold Freundt built an organ with about 28 stops on the western gallery. In 1715 two pillar organs were added in the crossing; they were built by Johann Ignaz Egedacher. In 1731 he also built a new organ on the western gallery, whose prospect still houses the main organ on the western gallery. In 1858, the pillar organs were transferred to the western side galleries. In 1890, a new building by Martin Hechenberger replaced the old Egedacher organ on the western gallery. In 1924, the cathedral chapter took the decision to build a new organ; The contract was awarded to Steinmeyer Orgelbau. By 1928, the largest organ of the world, with 208 stops, was created, divided into five parts organs. In 1980 and 1993, the company Eisenbarth from Passau rebuilt the entire organ system while retaining 55 registers and the spatial concept of the Steinmeyer organ.