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The cathedral Maria Himmelfahrt (German for the Assumption of Mary) is the parish church of the South Tyrolean capital Bozen and cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bozen-Brixen. While the Bishop has resided in Bozen since 1964, the cathedra and das cathedral chapter remain in Brixen; Maria Himmelfahrt is therefore with Brixen Cathedral co-cathedral of the diocese.

History
According to the 14th century Bozner Chronical, the first parish church Maria Himmelfahrt of Bozen was consecrated in 1180 and build in Romanesque architecture style. According to legend, a Bozner coachman found at this spot a miraculous shrine of Mary, Mother of God. This image, known as Liebe Frau vom Moos (German Our Lady of the Bog), is said to have been in the marshland of the Eisack, whose riverbed was then much closer to the cathedral than it is today. The statue, which dates from the 12th century, is housed in the baroque Chapel of Grace behind the high altar of the church. The mediaeval church was build on the remains of an early Christian baslica from the 6th century.

The first priest of Bozen, Rudolf is mention in 1195, on the occasion of a land exchange between the Upper Bavarian imperial abby at Tegernsee and the Prince-Bishopric of Trent. Due to sparse sources from this time, it is unknown when the church was elevated to a parish church. In 1259, Count Meinhard II acquired the lands of the parish and from this time, the parish church funtioned as Cella memoriae for the Tyrolean regents of the House of Gorizia and after 1363 for the Habsburgs. This anniversery of the bequeathment of the Tyrolean assets to the Habsburgs („der jarttæg … der herschafft von Ósterreich“) was confirmed in a settlement in 1435, in which the octave of Maria Himmelfahrt was confirmed by the German part of the Prince-Bishopric of Trent. Around 1300, a reconstruction of the church was begun in late Gothic architecture style begonnen to meet the increased demands of the city of Bozen, which had grown intensely both in terms of demographics as well as territory. The new church was completed in 1519 with the mit the construction of the tower in late Gothic style, designed by the Augsburg master mason Burkhard Engelberg and finished by Hans Lutz of Schussenried. From the same period is the late Gothic pulpit of sandstone with the reliefs of the four Church Fathers and the four Evangelist portraits, which was particially destroyed by Allied bombardments of 1943–1944 and rebuild in 1949. An urbarium of the parish church exsits from the middle 15th century (1453–1460) in which the then church caretaker Christof Hasler the elder registered the landed property and legal titels of the parish church. The manuscript is housed in the Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire de Strasbourg, where it ended up in 1871.

The parish chruch, the St. Nicholas Church (immediately south of the parish church) and the rectory (provost building) were severely hit in the 1943–44 by allied air raids on the Operational Zone of the Alpine Foothills. While only the foundations exist from the Nicholas Church, the parish church was restored. Many frescoes, stained glass windows and the altarpiece were lost. During the reconstruction work, remains from the early Christian church were found.

Although the chruch tower survied the allied bombings without damage, it had to be restored beginning in the mid-1970s. The restoration work cost more than 1.03 million euros and was completed in 1986.

In December 2008, some of the colorful glazed roof tiles detached. In Spring 2009, a group to finance the roof renovation (approximately 850.000 euro) was established. The work was completed in 2010. The province Südtirol and the Stiftung Südtiroler Sparkasse supported the renovation.

Inscriptions
On the south side of the parish chruch, there is an exact copy of the building inscription by Hans Lutz in local sandstone. The original is located in the openwork spire of the church. The inscription is in late Gothic minuscule and in Early New High German: „''Anno domini 1501 anfang / des paws am 18. tags winne / monet durch maister hanns / lutz stainmetz von schusenriet / volent des 16. tag herbst / monet anno domini 1519“; in English: Begun on May 18, 1501 by Master Hans Lutz stonemason from Schusenriet. Completed on Nobember 15, 1519.''

Historical cemetery
The old Bozner cemetery originally extended around the parish church at its northern, easter and southern part. This cemetery was first mentioned in documents in 1184 and expanded in 1547, finished in 1789 by Emperor Joseph II and used until 1826. In November 1826, a new neoclassical cemetery was inaugurated with arcades and frescoes in Nazarene style von Giuseppe Craffonara. This cemetery was located south of the parish church and provost building and was directly administered by the parish, serving its purpose until 1930–1932. After these years, funerals took place at the new Oberau Cemetary in St. Jakob, just south of Bozen. As a result, the old cemetery grounds deteriorated and was also heavily damaged in the air raids 1943–1944. 1951–52, the remaining arcades were demolished and in 1973 the last remnents were removed when the neo-Gothic cemetery chapel cemetary chapel was demolished. The grounds were overbuilt in 1991–93 with the new Pastoral Center and Curia of Bozen-Brixen accord to plans of Architect Othmar Barth.

Facilities
The parish church has received numerous donations from te citizens of the city and therefore belongs to the churches of the Alps with the most seats.

In addition to the bell tower and the pulpit, there are two organs in the parish church, a pietà from the time of International Gothic as well as various late Gothic frescoes and neo-Gothic side altars that avoided destruction in the Second World War. The Gothic nave contrasts with the monumental Baroque high altar with its numerous columns and figures of saints, built in 1716 by the Veronese architect Raghieri.

The Cathedral of Bozen houses the Sacred Heart figure by Johann Josef Karl Henrici that has been revered since 1795 and in 1796 motivated the defence of Tyrol. Today, a copy is carried through the city during the annual procession of the Sacred Heart.

In addition to several mediaeval relics, the church houses of the Bozner saints Henry of Bozen and Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim, who was batized in the parish church.

The presbytery was enlarged in the 1970s to better meet the needs as a diocese church. In addition, congregation altar was constructed of several pink marble blocks by the sculptor Michael Höllrigl of Lana in 1977. The still heavily criticized renovation work was completed in 1992 with the construction of priest's seats Ambon and Cathedra, matching the altar. On the occasion of the dedication of the altar in 1992, a relic of Saint Vigilius of Trent was set in the altar. Not far from the altar is the grave stone of Wilhelms III of Henneberg-Schleusingen. He died in 1480 in Salurn on his way back from Rome. His body was buried here in 1482 unit it was tranfered to his family plot in Kloster Veßra. The Bozener Epitaph was made in 1490 by the sculptor Erasmus Forster in Gardolo near Trent and placed in the church 1495–96.

On the back of the high altar is the grave stone of Archduke Erzherzog Archduke Rainer Joseph of Austria, the former viceroy of Lombardy–Venetia.

Organs
Both organs come from Metzler Orgelbau in Dietikon.

The main organ, also referred to as the St. Gregorius Organ genannt, was build in 1964. The sliderchest instrument has 41 registers on three manuals and pedals. The tracker actions are mechanical.


 * Koppeln: III-II, I-II, I-P, II-P (Tritte)

The choir organ, also called the marine organ, was built in 1997 and is located in left side aisle at the height of the congregation altar. The instrument has 17 registers on two manuals and one pedal keyboard. The tracker actions are mechanical.


 * Koppeln: II-I, I-P, II-P (Tritte)

Glockenspiel
In the upper hexagon of the parish tower hangs a carillon with 25 bells, cast by Glockengießerei Grassmayr in Innsbruck. It was installed in 2010 and is played Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 a.m. after chiming of the hour.

Cathedral treasury and library
A large part of cathedral treasure consists of numerous goblets, monstrances and vestments is housed in the Cathedral Treasury Bozen since its consruction in 2007 in the neighboring provost building. The once significant manuscript collection has been lost, which, according to inventories of the late 15th century, comprised nearly 40 liturgical manuscripts and texts of the Holy Scriptures. The extensive book inventory with more than 10,000 works of 15th to 19th century however has been preserved. Numerous early prints of the collection go back to the Bavarian humanist Erasmus Fend (also Fendt, Vendius).

The parish church of Bolzano in the 15th century was also an important center for cultication of music.