The Cathedral Cloister Kreuzgang Brixen is a top sight in the region. Built in the early Middle Ages, in pre-Romanesque times, the Bressanone Cathedral cloister is a true highlight, not only for the South Tyrolean region. Housed in the arcades and corner arcades south of Bressanone Cathedral, the cloister is open to visitors and admirers almost around the clock. The cloister is famous above all for its frescoes from the Gothic period, which were painted from around 1390. They were painted gradually during the 15th and until the beginning of the 16th century, mostly by order of the canons who were buried in the cloister. Thus, there is no uniform pictorial program, even though some arcades belong together thematically. Particularly popular motifs such as the birth of Christ also occur several times. On the other hand, the successive paintings make it possible to follow the development of late Gothic painting in one place. The names of the artists are mostly unknown, but stylistic attributions are possible, for example to the masters Leonhard von Brixen and Ruprecht Potsch with their workshops. Most of the artists were locals, but itinerant artists from Italy and Germany also participated in the paintings.
Particularly worth seeing are the depiction of the elephant (3rd arcade) and the Adoration of the Magi (13th arcade). The arcades are counted clockwise, starting in the center of the south wing with the first painted arcade.
The Bressanone Cloister, together with the adjacent Bressanone Cathedral, St. John’s Chapel and Our Lady’s Church, forms the center of the Bressanone Cathedral district; ideal for tourists in Bressanone, since the main sights are all within a stone’s throw of each other. Check out my other Articles about Brixen as well as South Tyrol.
Bressanone Cathedral Cloister / Kreuzgang Brixen
Address: at the crossing Albuingasse / Via Hartwig / Seminargasse or via Cathedral Square, to the right of Duomo di Bressanone
Opening hours: daily 06 am – 6 pm
Website:
Pictures of Cathedral Cloister Kreuzgang Brixen taken in the evening
