Kaiserdom is used in reference to Domes which particularly belonged to the Holy Roman Empire. The Kaiserdom includes: Mainz Cathedral, Worms Cathedral and Speyer Cathedral. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) have stated that the cathedrals present in Speyer, Worms and Mainz are crucial representatives of Romanesque art in German Empire.
List of the Cathedrals
- Mainz Cathedral
The Cathedral of St. Martin or as it is otherwise popularly known, Mainz Cathedral is located in the city of Mainz, Germany. The cathedrals original design belongs to the Romanesque tradition and its exterior was built over a period of time incorporating elements from Gothic and Baroque styles.
The construction of most of the Romanesque Ottanian cathedrals and other structures in Mainz are credited to Willigis, he was appointed the Archbishop of Mainz in A.D. 975. Under his reign, Mainz flourished economically and became a major centre for the arts and culture. His vision was to turn Mainz into the second Rome. Thus he ordered the construction of a new cathedral which would encompass the two churches, St. Alban’s and the old Cathedrals. Interestingly, St. Alban was the largest church then, of the region, it was also the burial ground of Charlemagne and other nobles of the time.
The design of the new cathedral was to include a double chancel and two transepts, moreover, the central hall was traced upon the typical triple nave cross pattern. There is no clearly stated reason as to why two chancels were used. The only possible reason that comes out is for the purpose of ceremonies. Furthermore, the eastern chancel became the section occupied for the mass and the western chancel was only reserved for the Bishop and Pontiffs.
The building complex suffered quite a bit of damage because of a fire which erupted during its inauguration ceremony in 1009. Archbishop Bodo assisted in the completion of the repairs and the remaining sections of the design. The main section of the design could only get completed by 1037. The primary construction material used was sandstone as per the original design. Later-on, during the reign of Henry IV, in the latter half of 11th century, the Cathedral underwent renovation where the inner and the outside sections were plastered. The only portion of the building that exposed the original sandstone was the cornices.
In 1081 tragedy stuck the cathedral again at the hands of a fire. Henry IV ordered his architects to redesign the cathedral in the old Lombardic style. On the eastern side particularly where the old flat chancel was located. It was replaced by a large apse which had external galleries. This structure was supported with columns which were connected with semi-circular walls. This time, the new chancel had a triple nave crypt. The fire had also more or less consumed the square tower which was replaced with an octagonal dome and over it the octagonal tower was also added. Sadly, with the death of Henry IV in 1106, all the funding was stopped and most of the work could not be completed.
Furthermore, Archbishop Adalbert I of Saarbrücken undertook the construction of the two storied chapel and christened it as the Gotthard Chapel. Also, the inspirations for the renovation of the vault and other parts of the cathedral came about from the Romanesque Speyer Cathedral. The nave of the building turned out to be an impressive 28 metres tall and its blind arches, the high windows created a three level effect was thought to be fascinating and completely new to the architecture of the time. In the coming few years, the cathedral underwent refashioning a number of times.
The cathedrals design saw major changes with the introduction of screens on the western roof. It was conducted in the Gothic style, and in the following few centuries’ further additions and redesigning took place in the manners of Gothic tradition. In 1279 there was a Gothic chapel with massive windows. Archbishop John II of Nassau in 1418 constructed the freestanding burial chapel. It was centrally located in the nave. On the top of the towers pyramid rooftops were constructed stylised in the same Gothic tradition.
Baroque influences can be seen from 18th century onwards. For instance, in 1767 when the western cross tower got struck with lightening resulting in a substantial amount of damage, a multi-storied roof was designed by the famous engineer Franz Ignaz Michael Neumann. Most of the roof tops were again stylised in the same Baroque stone design as they become popular. Furthermore, this century also saw many invasions, first by the French revolutionaries in 1792, then the Prussians in 1793. The cathedral experienced considerable amount of damage.
The restoration efforts of Bishop Colmar were put to waste because of the interruptions from the French Army. Moreover, the cathedral was started to be used as a church in 1814 but the repair work still continued till 1831. In 1875 neo-Romanesque towers were constructed replacing the ones built by Henry IV.
With the coming of the new century an entire elaborate process began towards the correction of the river Rhine. This resulted in alterations in the level of ground water, furthermore, as a result, the substructures of the cathedral which were essentially wooden started to rot and thus the foundations began to fail. Now, as a result the old foundations were underpinned but the World War I put a stop to much of the work. Thus the foundation work could only be completed between 1924 and 1928. The construction process for the first time saw the use of concrete and steel. The air raids of World War II nearly destroyed the cathedral complex completely. The repairs further continued during the latter half of the century. Today, the cathedral stands tall and tourists come flocking in search of its history and design.
- Wormser Dom
Located in southern Germany in the city of Worms, St. Peters Dom highlights the cityscape. Moreover, like the other Kaiserdom, the Dom in Worms was also designed in the Romanesque spirit. Its essential design comprises of four round towers, a basilica and two domes with choirs at each of their ends. Similar to the cathedral at Mainz, Wormser Dom also was constructed using red sandstones. The Dom today functions as a parish church and carries the title of Minor Basilica. It is a pier-basilica which comprises of two choirs and a transept.
The first settlers of the region were the Celts who inhabited the land in 3rd century BC. Later-on Germanic tribes such as Vangioni came and occupied the region. It is actually after them that the city is named. Roman forces would occupy the region next and build temples along with commercial centres. Furthermore, with the decline of the Romans, Burgundians occupied the city in around the first half of 4th century A.D.
The early centuries of the Christian era were quite brutal and comprised of massacres and wars. The Franks would frequently cross the Rhine and after the Battle of Catalaunian Fields, they finally were able to capture Worms. Then due to divide in the Frankish empire, Worms went to the Austriasians. It was in-fact after a certain alliance drawn out of marriage between the rulers of Austriasia and Neustria which had also resulted in a war, now as a result, a church was built over the hill. This church building can be called as the foundation or the predecessor of Wormser Dom.
The year 614 saw the appointment of the first Bishop of Worms, Berthulf. He laid out plans for a cathedral replacing the old church building. The construction began almost immediately. The following designs comprised of a cross shaped basilica which had two semi-circular choirs. With the completion of the construction, the Emperor himself graced the occasion and inaugurated the new cathedral. Major changes in the original design took place while it was being rebuilt in the 12th century. During this phase, the buildings saw an influence of late Romanesque stylisation.
Moreover, Gothic transition came about with Johannes von Dalberg during the 14th-15th century. The age was entrenched in revivalist tendencies and in the same light the construction of the Chapel of St. Nicholas began along with the Chapels of St. Anne and St. George. Though the amount of Gothic influence was rather minimal as most of the towers were traced on the old designs, the major changes came about in intricate details.
The Diet of Worms was congregated in around 1521, but almost immediately after the formation, the congregations became Protestants. Later-on during the Thirty Year’s War, between 1632 and 1635, Swedish army had occupied the city and Protestant services were offered at the cathedral. Louis XIV during the Nine Years War had ordered plundering and demolition of the Dom, the cathedral was damaged heavily but it did manage to survive and was restored in 1698 due to the efforts of Bishop Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuberg. These restoration processes were conducted in the influence of Baroque style. By the end of the next century, in 1792, the French Revolutionary troops sacked the city along with Speyer, Mainz and Frankfurt. Theron the Dom performed the role of a tavern and stable, and between 1818 and 1830 with the demolition of the cloisters stones were extracted and sold in an auction.
Between 1886 and 1935 the Cathedral complex was renovated completely. Major sections such as the choir were rebuilt from scratch. The renovated structures did face some amount of external damaging during the World Wars but they were taken care of.
- Speyer Cathedral
The cathedral at Speyer was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1981. It is a crucial monument from German history adorned in the Romanesque tradition. Also, it is otherwise officially known as Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen. Its Latin name is Domus sanctae Mariae Spirae.
The Cathedral was conceived by Conrad II and the construction of its vault was completed between 1030 and 1103. Furthermore, the cathedral has triple aisled vault basilica constructed using red sandstone. During the following years an external dwarf gallery was constructed along with a gallery which further developed into blind arcades. This structure underlined in rounded form below the roofline and this design construction became fundamentally etched into Romanesque churches. Till about 1610 the basic design of the cathedral remained unchanged. Post that, the influence of Gothic tradition came about when a chapel was constructed.
The Cathedral and the neighbouring towns were relatively unharmed during the Thirty Year’s War. Moreover, during the Palatinate War of Succession (1688-97) the people came forward to protect the Cathedral from the French troops. But, all the efforts were in vain as at the command of Louis XIV, the troops broke in and pillaged the holy ground and also the imperial graves. The entire town of Speyer was burnt down and much of the buildings in the cathedral complex collapsed.
Restoration work began during 1748 and 1772 during which the Romanesque nave was erected again but this time the construction was very much influenced by Baroque style. A few years later, in 1792 the cathedral went through destruction again, this time at the hands of the French Revolutionary troops. The cathedral also performed the function of a stable and store house during the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). The Congress of Vienna in 1815 granted the passage of Speyer and Palatinate to King Ludwig I of the Bavarian ruling family. Under the rule of King Maximilian II, the successor of King Ludwig the Baroque designs were replaced by neo-Romanesque designs.
Today, you can see that the Cathedral structure is almost the same as it was when it was first conceived in the 11th century. The exterior section of the cathedral gives the appearance of synchronised motion of unification. On the inside the naves has two open stages which are shaped in a semi-circle Romanesque openings. Due to the cultural importance of the site, in April 1981, the cathedral was granted the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site.