Our cruise ship docked at Deutches Eck, the point of land at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine Rivers. Nearby is the Basilica of St. Castor. (The photo of the church is a little bit wonky, but it was the best I could do on our walking tour of the old town.) Saint Castor was a 4th century missionary on the Moselle.

The first church of St. Castor was built between 817 and 836. The church became a part of the Monastery of St. Castor and was an important meeting place for emperors and kings and their descendants.

The two towers replaced the church’s original towers in 1103. Reconstruction at the church was begun in 1160. In 1200, the two towers were increased from five stories to seven. By the end of the 13th century the church’s flat roof was replaced by a vaulted ceiling.

In 1991, Pope John Paul II promoted Saint Castor to a basilica minor.

A new organ was installed in the Basilica in 2014. The organ has 3,679 individual pipes