city but used by Catholic or Lutheran congregations. St. Bartholomew's was seen as symbol for national unity in Germany, especially during the 19th century. Although it had never been a bishop's seat, it was the largest church in Frankfurt and its role in imperial politics, including crowning of medieval German emperors, made the church one of the most important buildings of Imperial history. In 1867, St. Bartholomew's was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt in its present style. During World War II, between October 1943 and March 1944, the old town of Frankfurt, the biggest old Gothic town in Central Europe, was devastated by six bombardments of the Allied Air Forces. The greatest losses occurred in an attack by the Royal Air Force on 22 March 1944, when more than a thousand buildings of the old town, most of them half-timbered houses, were destroyed. St. Bartholomew's suffered severe damage; the interior was burned out completely. The building was reconstructed in the 1950s. The height of the spire is . Frankfurt Cathedral Choir School The Frankfurt Cathedral Choir School (German: Frankfurter Domsingschule), founded in 2011, is a mixed ecumenical children's and youth choir, which accompanies not only mass and evensongs, but also official receptions and openings. The Frankfurter Domsingschule offers any singer, regardless of their religious affiliation, age-based, free vocal basic training at regular rehearsals and valuable one-on-one and group vocal training or early musical education. This extensive basic training is unique for Frankfurt. Notable people associated with the cathedral Conrad III of Dhaun, former provost Madern Gerthener, stonemason and architect who designed the cathedral Johannes Jeep, organist Joseph Weyland, Bishop of Fulda Hans Abel, artist contributing to the stained glass Notable burials Johannes Karl von und zu Franckenstein, Prince-Bishop of Worms Günther von Schwarzburg, anti-king and member of the House of Schwarzburg Gallery See also List of Gothic Cathedrals in Europe References Further reading External links Dompfarrei St. Bartholomäus Domturm Frankfurter Domsingschule Roman Catholic cathedrals in Hesse Roman Catholic churches in Frankfurt Gothic hall churches in Germany Frankfurt-Altstadt 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Germany Roman Catholic churches completed in 1550 Imperial election (Holy Roman Empire) Churches in the Diocese of Limburg