Aachen Cathedral in Germany: history, description, photo

Aachen Cathedral is the greatest monument of architecture of medieval Europe. Today it is one of the most famous oldest sights in Germany, in the walls of which are kept magnificent works of arts and crafts and Christian relics.

Description

The architectural core of the building is the palace imperial chapel, built in 796 in Byzantine style by Odon Metzsky. According to the canons of the construction of temples, adopted by Eastern Christians, the structure has a height of 31 m, and in the section - 32 m. The cathedral is an 8-gang dome, which is surrounded by a 16-gang gallery in 2 floors. It is supported by 8 pillars. At the same time, in 8 arches of the upper bypass there are double columns that are not bearing and perform a purely decorative function. In 1353-1414 the cathedral, whose photo does not convey the entire scale of this building, was decorated with choruses in the Gothic style.

Prehistory

When Charlemagne moved his capital to Aachen, he decided to turn it into the 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 Fifth. Some researchers believe that it was during this period that a part of the shrines that today attract thousands of pilgrims from all over the world to Aachen turned out to be in the city. Later, the engagement was upset, and a few years later Charlemagne was now wooing to Irina herself. The Empress answered him with a refusal, however, to sweeten the pill, she handed him the remaining relics.

Base

The Aachen cathedral began to be built around 800 on the orders of Charlemagne for the storage of relics that arrived as gifts from the Empress Irina. To erect this structure, which the Emperor intended to become the largest and most luxurious at that time in the world, specialists from Rome and Byzantium were invited.

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 a stone that is in the center of the chapel, and denote the place where the tomb of Charles the Great was originally located.

In 1000, the monarch's coffin was uncovered by the order of Emperor Otto III. In one medieval chronicle, found in the monastery in Novalese and dating back to 1048, there is a record that the body of Charlemagne appeared before the eyes of those who were present at the exhumation of the remains, perfectly preserved. As evidenced by this document, the emperor was dressed in white festive clothes and was sitting in an armchair with a scepter in his hands and with a crown on his head.

In 1165 the grave was reopened on the orders of Frederick the First Barbarossa, who was going to canonize Charlemagne. Then the imperishable remains were briefly exposed for public viewing and became the object of religious worship. Then the emperor ordered them to be transferred to an ornate box, and in 1215 his successor Frederick the Second ordered them to be imprisoned 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 move the coffin to the sacristy. In this case, the signs of supreme authority, which were in the sarcophagus, were sent to Vienna in 1798 as the most important state relics.

As for the white marble chair on which the allegedly deceased Charlemagne (emperor) was found seated, he was later overlaid with gold, and today he is on display. It is known that until 1531 it was used as a throne. It was on him that the emperors sat after the coronation ceremony.

Relics of the imperial temple

Aachen Cathedral was the last refuge not only for Charlemagne. In the year 1002, Otto the Third was buried in the cathedral.

In addition to the remains of the monarchs in the sacristy of the temple, such important relics as the Virgin Mary's underwear, made of a yellowish white linen, and the fabric into which it was wrapped immediately after the birth of the Infant Christ in Bethlehem are kept. The last piece of fabric is very similar to that of men's clothing, so it is believed that, most likely, it was made from the sleeve of the shirt of St. Joseph.

The Cathedral of Aachen is a storage place and a board, which was wrapped with a dish with a truncated head of St. John the Baptist, and the fourth relic of the temple is a piece of cloth that is part of the fabric that girded the loins of Christ during a cruel execution through crucifixion.

Confirmations that they are genuine, no, however, as already mentioned above, it is known that they were ordered to bring from the East by Charles the Great (emperor).

In the 19th century, a custom was introduced, according to which relics were shown every 7 years in the middle of summer. In addition, in the sacristy of the Aachen temple, vessels of skilful work and a few little-known Catholic shrines are still preserved to this day. 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 II, which dates back to the beginning of the 11th century.

Restoration and restoration work

Aachen Cathedral in Germany during its ten-century history was repeatedly subjected to various alterations. At the same time, not always they contributed to its decoration. In particular, by the middle of the 19th century the mosaic that once covered the arches of the dome of the church was practically destroyed. To restore it at the end of the 19th century, the Society of Charlemagne, in effect since 1849, set itself the task of restoring the cathedral from both the external and internal sides. This goal was achieved, thanks to the generous donations made by Friedrich Six and Wilhelm the First.

In the course of large-scale works, 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. Also, the appearance of 14 statues inside the choir was restored.

By 1881, the restoration of the ancient mosaic on the dome of the Aachen Cathedral was completed, and the long-lost altar was restored, before which between the years 813 and 1531 anointed the kingdom of 35 German kings and more than a dozen queens.

Legends of the Aachen Cathedral

The Imperial Cathedral for its thousand-year history has become legendary. For example, the legend that the residents of Aachen used money to build the cathedral was taken from the devil himself, promising that he would receive the soul of the first who entered the building after it was completed. According to this legend, the townspeople deceived Satan by launching the first wolf to the cathedral. The greedy devil immediately grabbed the victim and noticed the catch only after everything had already been completed.

Mass pilgrimages

The cathedral of the Diocese of Aachen every few years becomes the object of pilgrimage. It is known that in the Middle Ages the influx of those wishing to see its relics was so great that the believers filled not only the square and all the 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 a lot of human casualties.

Thousands of pilgrims visit the Aachen Cathedral today. Especially large is the influx of believers, when they demonstrate the relics of the church. The last such event occurred in 2014. To carry out and display on the display of the holy things stored in the treasury of the cathedral, a special stage was built. Masses were held from June 20 to June 29. To participate in these religious rituals, representatives of the Evangelical, Ecumenical and Greek Orthodox Christian communities gathered in the city of Aachen.

Now you know what the imperial cathedral of Aachen is famous 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 must be seen at least in order to admire the talent of medieval architects and builders.