Sign in

Fulda Cathedral (Tomb of St. Boniface)

Saints & Tombs Not Applicable
Fulda, Germany 754 (present cathedral 1704–1712) Feast day: June 5

The burial place of St. Boniface.

St. Boniface →
Save to my journey Mark as visited
Plan a trip here

The Story

Fulda Cathedral, in the city of Fulda in central Germany, is the burial place of St. Boniface, the eighth-century Anglo-Saxon monk honored as the Apostle of Germany. Dedicated to Christ the Savior, it serves as the cathedral of the Diocese of Fulda and is one of Germany's principal pilgrimage churches. Born in England around 675 and originally named Winfrid, Boniface left a promising monastic career to evangelize the Germanic peoples. Commissioned by the pope and eventually made archbishop, he organized dioceses, reformed the Church in the Frankish lands, and founded monasteries — among them the Abbey of Fulda, established in 744 by his disciple St. Sturmius, which Boniface chose as his own resting place. In 754, while on mission among the Frisians, he and his companions were attacked and killed near Dokkum, in the present-day Netherlands. Tradition holds that he met death without resistance, and a book with which, according to the account, he tried to shield himself is preserved among his relics. His body was carried back to Fulda, as he had wished, and his tomb quickly became a center of pilgrimage. The abbey church that housed his tomb grew into one of the great monasteries of medieval Europe. The present baroque cathedral was built between 1704 and 1712 to plans by Johann Dientzenhofer on the site of the earlier basilica, and the saint's tomb lies in the Bonifatiusgruft, the crypt beneath the high altar, marked by an eighteenth-century alabaster relief. St. Boniface holds a singular place in the memory of German Catholicism, and his tomb has remained a focus of the Church's life in Germany: the German bishops have long gathered in Fulda, and each year around his feast on June 5 the diocese celebrates the Bonifatiusfest, when pilgrims converge on the cathedral square for Mass and festivities. Pilgrims today visit the crypt to pray at the martyr's tomb, honoring a saint whose missionary labors helped plant the faith in the heart of Europe.

Church Recognition

St. Boniface has been venerated as a saint and martyr since the eighth century, with his feast on June 5 in the General Roman Calendar; his relics rest in the crypt of Fulda Cathedral, the seat of the Diocese of Fulda and destination of the annual Boniface pilgrimage.

Catholic Teaching

Pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Boniface expresses the Church's veneration of martyrs and their relics (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1674) and the communion of saints (CCC 946–962), honoring a missionary who gave his life in witness to the Gospel.

Plan Your Visit

Open only what you need.

Practical

Additional Information

Pilgrims visit the saint's tomb in the Bonifatiusgruft beneath the high altar, as well as the baroque cathedral itself and the adjacent cathedral museum with relics of the saint. The annual Bonifatiusfest, held around the June 5 feast, opens the diocesan pilgrimage season and draws pilgrims from across the region to the cathedral square.

Go Deeper

The Diocese of Fulda's website (https://www.bistum-fulda.de) provides information on the cathedral and the Bonifatiusfest. Willibald of Mainz's early 'Life of Saint Boniface' and the saint's own surviving letters are classic sources; see also Catechism of the Catholic Church 946–962 on the communion of saints.

Location

Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →