herzdvme @slendershy - Tumblr Blog

Interior view of the nave towards the eastern apse of Speyer Cathedral, Speyer, Germany. The cathedral was begun in 1030 and originally had a wooden roof. Between 1082-1106, the cathedral’s imperial patron, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, had the wooden roof replaced with ribbed groin vaulting and reconstructed the transepts and crypt space. The cathedral is the burial site of Salian kings, Hohenstaufens, and later Germanic kings. Image from course lectures.

#speyer #dom #cathedral #keyworks

mediumaevum

The Bust of Charlemagne is a reliquary in the form of the bust of Charlemagne made around 1350, which contains the king’s skullcap. The reliquary is part of the Late Medieval treasure kept in the Aachen Cathedral Treasury. It is one of the most significant examples of Gothic goldwork and the best-known example of a reliquary bust anywhere. The reliquary is an idealised image, not an actual portrait of Charlemagne.

(Click on the image. It’s breathtaking.)

#aachen #cathedral #dom #gothic #the #bust #of #charlemagne #reliquary #latemedieval #treasury #goldwork

figuresinthevoid

So Long Ago

The Carolingian and Gothic Cathedral of Aachen (District of Cologne, Germany).

It is the oldest cathedral in northern Europe, since its construction will begin in the eighteenth century, under the reign of Charlemagne, which will also make Aachen (Aix-La-Chapelle in french) his capital.

The construction of the cathedral will extend over 1200 years, and therefore has remarkable Carolingian parts, mixing antique and Byzantine style. It also contains many ecclesiastical treasures.

(The pictures show, in order: an external view; the mosaics of the octagonal ceiling; the shrine of Charlemagne; a detail of the exterior facade; the arches of the dome; a set of stained glass windows; the octagonal ceiling again; a detail of the mosaics; the pulpit of Henry II; and finally, a group of statues of the facade)

#aachen #cathedral #dom #pfalzkirche #architecture #keyworks