Aachen Cathedral is the greatest architectural monument of medieval Europe. Today it is one of the most famous ancient sights of Germany, in the walls of which are stored magnificent works of decorative art and Christian relics.
Description
The architectural core of the building is the imperial palace chapel, built in 796 in the Byzantine style by Odon Metz. According to the canon of erection of churches, adopted by Eastern Christians, the structure has a height of 31 m, and in the section - 32 m. The Cathedral is an 8-sided dome, which is surrounded by a 16-sided gallery of 2 floors. It is supported by 8 pillars. At the same time, in the 8 arches of the upper bypass are double columns that are not bearing and perform a purely decorative function. In 1353-1414, the cathedral, whose photos do not convey the full scale of this building, was decorated with gothic choirs.
Background
When Charlemagne moved his capital to Aachen, he decided to turn it into a third Rome. For this, the city needed to find significant Christian shrines. This task was facilitated by the fact that his daughter was engaged to the Byzantine emperor Constantine the Fifth. Some researchers believe that it was during this period that part of the shrines that today attract thousands of pilgrims to Aachen from all over the world turned out to be in the city. Later, the engagement was upset, and a few years later, Charlemagne had already embraced Irina herself. The empress refused him, however, in order to sweeten the pill, she gave him the rest of the relics.
Base
Aachen Cathedral began to be built around 800 on the orders of Charlemagne to store relics that arrived as gifts from Empress Irina. Specialists from Rome and Byzantium were invited to erect this structure, which, according to the emperor’s plan, was to be the largest and most luxurious at that time in the world.
After 5 years, the Aachen Cathedral was consecrated by Pope Leo the Third, and in 814, the body of Charlemagne was buried in his palace chapel.
Carolo magno
These words are inscribed on the stone, which is located in the very center of the chapel, and indicate the place where the tomb of Charlemagne was originally located.
In 1000, the tomb of the monarch was opened by order of Emperor Otto the Third. In one medieval chronicle found in a monastery in Novalez dating back to 1048, there is a record that the corpse of Charlemagne appeared before the eyes of those who were present at the exhumation of the remains, perfectly preserved. As this document testifies, the emperor was dressed in white festive clothes and sat in an armchair with a scepter in his hands and with a crown on his head.
In 1165, the grave was again opened by order of Frederick the First Barbarossa, who was going to canonize Charlemagne. Then the imperishable remains were briefly put on public display and became the object of religious worship. Then the emperor ordered them to be placed in a richly decorated box, and in 1215 his successor Frederick II ordered them to be enclosed in another precious coffin.
In this last richly decorated sarcophagus, the remains of Charlemagne until the end of the 18th century rested on the altar of the choir of the temple. Then it was decided to transfer the coffin to the sacristy. At the same time, the signs of the supreme power, located in the sarcophagus, in 1798 were sent to Vienna as the most important state relics.
As for the white marble chair, on which the supposedly long-dead Charles the Great (emperor) was found sitting, then he was later overlaid with gold, and today it is put on public display. It is known that until 1531 he was used as a throne. It was on it that the emperors sat after the ceremony of coronation.
Relics of the imperial temple
Aachen Cathedral was the last refuge not only for Charlemagne. In 1002, Otto the Third was also buried in the cathedral.
In addition to the remains of the monarchs, the sacristy of the temple contains such important relics as the underdress of the Virgin Mary, made of yellowish-white linen, and the fabric in which the Baby Christ was wrapped immediately after birth in Bethlehem. The last piece of fabric is very reminiscent of part of men's clothing, so it is believed that, most likely, it was made from the sleeve of a shirt of St. Joseph.
Aachen Cathedral is the place of storage and the fee that was used to wrap the dish with the truncated head of St. John the Baptist, and the fourth relic of the temple is a piece of matter, which is part of the fabric that encircled the loins of Christ during the cruel execution through crucifixion.
There is no evidence that they are genuine, however, as mentioned above, it is known that Charles the Great (emperor) ordered them to be brought from the East.
In the 19th century, a custom was introduced according to which relics were shown every 7 years in the middle of summer. In addition, the sacristy of the Aachen temple still holds vessels of skillful work and several little-known Catholic shrines. There is also the sacred bust of Charlemagne with a fragment of the emperor’s skull embedded in it and the rare Carolingian Gospel of the 9th century, as well as a cross with the seal of Lothar the Second, which dates back to the beginning of the 11th century.
Remodeling and restoration work
The Aachen Cathedral in Germany has undergone various alterations over the course of its ten-century history. Moreover, they did not always contribute to its decoration. In particular, by the middle of the 19th century, the mosaic that once covered the arches of the dome of the temple was almost destroyed. To restore it at the end of the 19th century, the Charlemagne Society, which has been operating since 1849, has set itself the task of restoring the cathedral from both the outside and the inside. This goal was achieved thanks to the generous donations made by Frederick the Sixth and William the First.
In the course of large-scale work, the octagons were again decorated with ancient marble columns stolen by the French in 1794 and returned to Germany, according to the Paris Peace Treaty. The appearance of 14 statues inside the choir was also restored.
By 1881, the restoration of ancient mosaics on the dome of the Aachen Cathedral was completed, and the long-lost altar was restored, in front of which between 813 and 1531 35 German kings and more than a dozen queens were anointed to the kingdom.
Legends of Aachen Cathedral
The imperial cathedral overgrown with legends over its thousand-year history. For example, there is a legend that the inhabitants of Aachen borrowed the money for the construction of the cathedral from the devil himself, promising that he would receive the soul of the first one who entered the building after it was completed. According to this legend, the townspeople outwitted Satan by launching the wolf first in the cathedral. The greedy devil immediately grabbed the sacrifice and noticed the catch only after everything had already been completed.
Mass pilgrimages
The cathedral of the diocese of Aachen every few years becomes an object of pilgrimage. It is known that in the Middle Ages the influx of people wishing to see his relics was so great that believers filled not only the area and all balconies of the adjacent buildings, but also settled on their roofs. As a result, the city of Aachen witnessed a terrible tragedy, as a collapse occurred, which caused many casualties.
Thousands of pilgrims visit the Aachen Cathedral today. The influx of believers is especially great when the relics of the temple are shown. The last such event occurred in 2014. A special stage was built to take out and put on display the shrines stored in the treasury of the cathedral. Masses were held on it from June 20 to 29. Representatives of the Evangelical, Ecumenical and Greek Orthodox Christian faiths gathered in the city of Aachen to participate in these religious rites.
Now you know what the imperial cathedral of Aachen is known for. The temple can be proud of its rich history. This cathedral, the photo of which is presented in the article, is a real miracle of world architecture, and it is definitely worth seeing at least to admire the talent of medieval architects and builders.