Kölner Dom or the Cologne Cathedral as it is known to the rest of the world, it is a Roman Catholic Church located in Cologne. It receives patronage of the Apostle Peter and also provides seat to the Archbishop of Cologne. Kölner Dom is also the main centre from where the Archdiocese of Cologne is administered.
Designed and reconstructed over a period of more than 600 years. It has been characterised in the Gothic architectural style. The Kölner Dom represents the heights of German Catholicism. It was honoured as a World Heritage Site in the year 1996 and is among the most visited landmarks of the German lands. At an average Kölner Dom receives a footfall of about 20,000 individuals.
History
The original construction of the Cologne Cathedral is known to have begun in the year 1248 on a site which had in the previous ages been occupied by many structures. Archaeological records have shown that the earliest structure to be present at the site was a grain storage which was then preceded by a Roman temple which is now understood to have been built by Mercurius Augustus. Many Christian buildings came to occupy the region 4th century onwards. Among them was the ‘oldest cathedral’, a square edifice which was commissioned by Maternus, the first Bishop of Cologne. Further, in the 6th century came about a free standing baptistery which was located on the today’s eastern side of the current cathedral. This building was later on demolished in the 9th century and was replaced by another, much larger cathedral. Today, you can find the remains of these cathedrals.
Furthermore, during the medieval times, Rainald of Dassel, the Archbishop of Cologne acquired the remaining relics of the Three Kings from the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1164. The relics were first acquired by Emperor Barbarossa from the Basilica of Sant’Eustorgio which is located in Milan, Italy. In the contemporary times certain parts of those relics were returned to Milan in good faith. Among the Christian community and also in its traditions, the relics hold significant amount of importance. It was because of this nature of theirs that the officials of the church proposed a Gothic architecture to house them.
Thus the foundation stones of Kölner Dom were placed on the 15th of August of the year 1246 at the hands of Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden. But the cathedral could not be completed in the lifetime of the Archbishop. It was later-on taken over and completed under the guidance of Master Gerhard. The Cathedral was then consecrated in the year 1322, but the work in the interior sections carried on for some more time. Further in the centuries that followed more additions were made to the cathedral.
Romantic spirit of the 19th century laden with all its enthusiasm managed to discover the original plan documents of the cathedrals façade. Furthermore, the Protestant Prussian Court was convicted to commit to the completion of the buildings in their original design. Work was began and was stopped for some time, then it began again in 1842.
Its completion of the cathedral was a matter of national celebration which was on the 14th of August, 1880. It took nearly 632 years for the cathedral to be completed. The celebrations were also known to have been attended by the Emperor Wilhelm I.
The time of the World Wars were not kind at all to the largest Cathedral of Germany. It took nearly 14 straight hits from the aerial attacks which had flattened many a number of German cities. Twin spires of the Cathedral made it look like a sitting duck that is an easy target for the fighter planes. When the restoration work began in the post war era it seemed like an enormous task and rightly so. With all the modern equippers the repair works could only be completed by 1956. Furthermore, much of the damage still remained unattended and it was only in 2005 that the cathedral was returned to its original glory.
In 2007 stained glasses, measuring 113 metres square were installed in the southern transept widows. These windows were designed by Gerhard Richter and are composed of 11,500 identical pieces of coloured glass.
Architecture
The Cathedral quite closely represents the Armiens Cathedral with respect to the ground plans, style, along with the width and the height and the proportions of the central nave.
Kölner Dom was designed in the tradition of the High Gothic five-aisled basilica which is 144.5 metres long and has a projecting transept which is 86.25 metres wide. The gorgeous façade of the tower is 157.22 metres high on the other hand the nave and the side-aisles are 43.58 and 19.80 metres wide respectively. The changes that begun to appear on the western transept since 1330 was not perceptible to the rest of the building. When the work began in the 19th century, they managed to bring forth the medieval tradition including the form and style in all its honesty.
The basic structure of the building can be observed to be in the form of a Latin cross as is usually the case with cathedrals built in the Gothic tradition. Either sides of the cathedral building there are aisles. They provide strength and support Gothic vaults which are considered to be among the highest in the world. It is considered to be as tall as the Beauvais Cathedral. There is a single ambulatory on the eastern end and one of the aisles resolve into a chevet.
On the inside varied medieval presence is quite starkly visible. The Medieval choir has been portrayed in the stylisation as per the French taste along with the arrangements of the arcade, triforium gallery and the clerestory windows. The choir still holds many of its original fittings. Interestingly, Ludwig I of Bavaria gifted a set of five glass windows which were then installed on the southern side. They are known as Bayernfenster and are strong representatives of the Germanic styles.
More about the Kölner Dom
This grand medieval building was created to house the reliquary of the Three Kings. The Three Kings of the Biblical Magi refers to the Three Wise Men as mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew. In the Christin tradition a distinguished group of individuals had visited Jesus after he was born. They have also been known to be carrying certain gifts such as gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew explained the Magi as the ones who had come from the east so that they could worship the king of Jews. Moreover, there was no clear mention of the actual number of visitors, but it is actually through the number of gifts that created the myth of the three. Also, the number three in own right holds certain mythical connotations.
Among the most cherished treasures of the cathedral is its High Altar. It was installed in the year 1322 and was made using 15 feet long solid slabs of the black marble. Shrine of the Three Kings is among the most celebrated art which is installed in the cathedral. It was commissioned by Archbishop Philip von Heinsberg of Cologne and the great creator mast was Nicholas of Verdun.