Central to Basel is the Cathedral, the symbol of the city. The cathedral is a late Romanesque basilica with a transverse nave and a 12th-century choir and has many characteristic Gothic elements. The walls of the cathedral are made of red sandstone and are topped with a roof of coloured tiles and two towers. Above the central portal is an image of Emperor Henry II, the founder of the cathedral, holding a model of the temple. Next to him is the Empress Kunigunda.
After a severe fire in 1258, the temple was renovated and the side aisles were converted into crypt chapels. After the devastating earthquake of 1356, which destroyed the vaults, towers and crypt of the cathedral, the building was rebuilt according to the style of the time. This is particularly evident in the sculptural decoration of the cathedral.
In the northern part of the cathedral is the tomb of Erasmus of Rotterdam. The crypt of the cathedral contains fragments of late Romanesque frescoes and the lapidarium, the remains of the masonry of a 9th-century temple.
