Pinch Me Places: Worms Cathedral

Students of church history will remember the city of Worms as the site of the trial of Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms. The lovely Robin and I visited this awe-inspiring structure in the High Romanesque style on Reformation Day, Oct. 31, 2010--exactly 493 years after Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany (Worms and Wittenberg are nowhere near each other--about 325 miles apart).

It's tough to get a good photo of the cathedral. Though its four towers and two domes--and soot-blackened walls from a 17th century fire--dominate the old city of Worms, it is so massive and the nearby buildings crowded so close upon it that the only perspective for a decent shot of the whole thing is probably an aerial perch.

We entered the church to the incredible sounds of the pipe organ and choir, practicing for a Sunday evening concert in front of the Baroque high altar by Balthasar Neumann.

Though the hall where the Diet met to try Luther is no longer standing, the spot where it happened is marked by a beautiful garden. Nonetheless, it was for me a "pinch me" place, especially on Reformation Day!