Cologne Cathedral

Every year over six million people from all parts of the world visit Cologne Cathedral. Many of these guests regard the cathedral as an outstanding sight, placing special emphasis on its significance as a historic monument which was recognized as UNESCO-world heritage in 1996. However, for Christians the cathedral is above all a house of God, in which people for many centuries have congregated for worship and personal prayer. As the church of a Roman-Catholic bishop, the cathedral is the central church of the Archdiocese of Cologne. Every year over 2,700 divine services are held in the cathedral. The construction and the interior of all churches serve this purpose.

Historical overview

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

The Gospel according to St Matthew 2,10-11

On a first visit to Cologne Cathedral (begun in 1248) one is astonished to learn that it took 632 years to complete it. At first glance, the architecture seems to be completely uniform. This was made possible only because no generation of builders departed from the original masterplan. Everyone who began and continued this building project over centuries was aware that they would never see completion. This fact alone shows that they did not build only for themselves, but, inspired by faith, for future generations and for the honour of God.

313/314

The beginnings of Christianity in Cologne reach far back. As early as 313/314 the Cologne Bishop Maternus is mentioned in a charter as participant of the synods at Arles and Rome. From this time at the latest a Christian community in Cologne is provable. Their first meeting place is unknown. But there is evidence to assume it in the northeastern corner of the Roman city, where today’s Gothic cathedral is located.

6th century

For the 6th century at the latest there is archaeological evidence of a first church on this site. To the east of this building there is a detached early Christian baptistery. Already in 1866 traces of an octagonal baptismal font were uncovered outside the present cathedral.

870

C. 800 the later so-called “Old Cathedral” is built and consecrated c. 870. This church has a length of 95 m and immediately predates the present Gothic cathedral. In the 10th or 11th century the original three-aisled nave of the “Old Cathedral” is extended to a five-aisled nave. This is an architectural quality which the subsequent Gothic cathedral takes up later.

1164

The decision to build a new cathedral is preceded by the transfer of the relics of the Magi to Cologne in 1164. Archbishop Rainaid von Dassel (f 1167) received them from Emperor Friedrich I (called “Barbarossa” i.e. “Redbeard”) in return for his support during the siege of Milan. The veneration of the Magi goes back to those “wise men from the East” who are mentioned in the Gospel according to St Matthew (Mt 2,1-12). First of all, a precious shrine is created for their prominent relics: probably around 1190 work on the shrine begins, which to a great extent involves the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun and his workshop.

Around 1225 planning begins for a new church that is to be used as a bishop’s and a pilgrims’ church alike. Therefore the eastern parts of the old church of the 9th century are demolished.

1248

On 15 August 1248 Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden lays the foundation stone of the Gothic cathedral.

1322

Shortly after 1260 the ground floor of the choir is already completed, and the first altars are consecrated. In this period the first objects of the interior are created. At the beginning of the 14th century the cathedral’s choir is architecturally completed and further equipped in the following years. On 27 September 1322 the choir is solemnly consecrated. On this occasion the Shrine of the Magi is temporarily set up in the new cathedral’s axis chapel. As of this moment the ambulatory is used as a pilgrims’ path. A source of the 15th century reveals the intention to set up the Shrine of the Magi in the crossing after the completion of the cathedral in order to form the centre of this church. But the cathedral could not be completed in the Middle Ages.

c. 1360

After the consecration of the choir, building work slows down. According to a source, in 1331 work is done on the foundations of the southern aisles. Around 1360 work begins on the south steeple’s walls after the completion of the accompanying foundations. At the beginning of the 15th century the south steeple is completed up to a height of 58 metres. Together with its wooden crane it remains a massive torso, adding a distinctive note to the Cologne cityscape during the following centuries.

1389

In 1389, to mark the foundation of Cologne’s university the previous year, a divine service is held in the southern aisles of the nave. Therefore by that time this section of the cathedral must have been completed. At the beginning of the 16th century just seven bays of the northern aisle are vaulted. There, five great windows are inserted between 1507-1509.

1530

When building work comes to a standstill soon after 1520, apart from the cathedral’s completed choir, the ground floor of the nave and parts of the transept are usable, and the two lower storeys of the south steeple are completed.

1794

With the invasion of troops of the French Revolution in 1794 the Archdiocese of Cologne is abolished, and the cathedral is temporarily used as fodder storage room and prisoner of war camp. From 1801 it is again used – if only as an ordinary parish church. Only in 1821 the Archdiocese of Cologne is reestablished and the cathedral is again elevated to the status of a bishop’s church.

1842-1880

In 1842, after years of restoration, the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV lays the foundation stone for the resumed construction. Already in 1880, after only 38 years, the final stone can be inserted in the finial on the south steeple in the presence of Emperor Wilhelm I.

Only in the 19th century the cathedral was completed in its present shape. An important prerequisite for the completion of the twin-steepled façade was the façade plan. It had been lost in the meantime and was again fittet together in 1816. This architectural drawing on parchment of the beginning of the 14th century is over four metres high and depicts the entire twin-steepled façade in great detail. The north and the south transept façades, however, are freely invented 19th century replicas of Gothic architecture.

Until the end of the 19th century numerous artefacts were created which belong to the most prominent creations of the Gothic Revival. Almost two thirds of the building costs were raised by the civic Zentral-Dombau-Verein (Cathedral Association), founded in 1842. Still today this association makes an essential contribution towards the preservation of the cathedral.

1939-1945

When during the Second World War Cologne is reduced to rubble, the cathedral is also severely damaged by numerous bombs. Entire bays of the vault collapse and various windows are blasted out. At the northwestern buttress of the west façade a bomb tears an enormous hole which is repaired with a makeshift filling containing over 20,000 bricks. Due to its construction the cathedral almost completely withstands the shock waves and the vibrations. At the end of the war it sticks out of a massive field of destruction, seemingly undamaged. Fortunately, during the war many artefacts were evacuated or protected inside the cathedral. Of the windows particularly those of the Middle Ages were taken out, whereas those of the 19th century were largely destroyed.

Ever since the end of the Second World War the approximately 100 staff members of the cathedral’s workshop (Dombauhütte) have taken care of further reconstruction and, above all, preservation of the monumental edifice.

Tour

You will find a plan of Cologne Cathedral on the last page of this brochure. For a short tour we have marked the most important objects in the cathedral with a crown (I,II,III & IV)

The prominent twin-steepled façade with its openwork spires is visible for miles. It is the largest church façade ever built. Here, one enters the cathedral by the great central portal or one of the two side portals leading into the steeple vestibule. The first impression of the interior is dominated by the enormous measures and the large colourful stained glass windows. It is one of the distinguishing features of Gothic architecture that supporting walls are unnecessary due to an outside system of buttresses. Windows with pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and clustered pillars form an entirely uniform interior.

1- Series of windows in the steeple vestibule showing biblical scenes from the salvation history, from the creation of the world to doomsday. Created in 1884 and based on a design by Johannes Klein. Six of the eight windows were destroyed in the Second World War and reconstructed by the cathedral’s glass workshop between 1994 and 2010. The great west window above the central portal depicts 18 scenes from the Old and the New Testament. Designed by Carl Julius Milde it was inserted in 1877, dismantled during the Second World War, and again inserted in 1993.

From the central nave the tour leads into the two northern side aisles.

2- Five windows in the northern side aisle, donated between 1507 and 1509. From left to right: Window of the Suffering of Jesus: saints Laurence and Mary with benefactor (below), scenes from the Suffering of Jesus (above); window of St Peter and Jesse: benefactor kneeling before the saints Peter and Sebastian (below), legend of St Peter and Tree of Jesse (descent of Jesus from the royal line of David) (above); window of the Nativity of Jesus: saints George, Maurice, Gereon and Alban as patron saints of the city of Cologne, donated by the city’s councillors (below), Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds (above); window of the Adoration: saints Peter, Mary, Elizabeth of Thuringia, Christopher (below); Adoration of the Magi (above); window of the Coronation of Our Lady: saints Mary Magdalene and George (below), Coronation of Our Lady (above).

3- So-called “Altarpiece of St Clare”, c. 1350/1360. Oldest existing retable containing an integral tabernacle for keeping the Blessed Sacrament. The lavish winged altarpiece can be opened in two stages, allowing three displays. It comes from the former Franciscan convent of St Clare and has been kept in the cathedral since 1811.

The tour continues in the north transept:

4- Former treasury entrance. Above the door there are three gilded staves indicating the Cologne archbishop’s years in office. Next to the door, on the right, there is a blood relic of Pope John Paul II who was canonized (sainted) in 2014.

5- O Statue of grace depicting Our Lady decorated with jewellery(so-called Schmuckmadonna”), 18th century. The statue is displayed in the Baroque front side of the former Magi’s marble mausoleum. This was created between 1668 and 1683 as a protective casing for the Shrine of the Magi (II), which at that time was kept in the axis chaple. The back of the mausoleum is in the former treasury (now the so-called “Magi’s Hall”) behind the Baroque front side.

6- Since 1948 the great organ has been in the corner of the north transept and the choir. It replaced the old organ which had been situated at the transept’s north wall and destroyed in the Second World War. The organ was built and frequently extended by Orgelbau Klais. Since the 2001 restoration it has 88 stops. In 1998 the so-called “swallow’s nest organ” in the nave with 53 stops was added and extended by two trumpet fanfare stops in the steeple vestibule in 2006.

The nave and the transept of the cathedral intersect at the crossing.

7- The crossing’s altar was designed by Elmar Hillebrandt, 1960; cathedra (bishop’s chair) by Willy Weyres, 1952; pulpit of 1544.These three objects underline the three duties of a bishop: he is a priest, a shepherd and a teacher. Since 1956 the crossing has been the liturgical centre of the cathedral.

The apsidal ambulatory with its seven radiating chapels is the oldest part of the cathedral. Here, the construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1248. Already shortly after 1260 the groundfloor with the radiating chapels was completed and immediately used for the liturgy.

8- Mosaic floor (1,350 m2), based on a design by August Essen wein, created and layed 1885-1892 by Villeroy & Boch (Mettlach). The first image shows the Archbishop Hildebold (ⴕ 818) with a model of the previous cathedral (“Old Cathedral”).

I – In the Chapel of the Holy Cross, the northern side chapel of the choir, there is the Crucifix of Gero. It is over a thousand years old and considered to be one of the first larger than lifesize sculptures of the Middle Ages. It was donated by Archbishop Gero (ⴕ 976). It represents neither Christ suffering nor Christ triumphant, but Christ in the very moment of his death, through which he redeemed mankind. The Baroque altar was donated in 1683 by Canon Heinrich von Mering. According to an account of miracles by Thietmar von Merseburg (ⴕ 1018) the crucifix was considered to be miraculous, and therefore especially venerated throughout the centuries – this is documented by the taylors’ guild’s candle beam, donated c. 1400, above the tomb of Archbishop Wilhelm von Gennep (ⴕ1362).

The sanctuary (inner choir) enclosed by screens and grilles forms the architectural and the original liturgical centre of the Gothic cathedral. This is where the main divine services were held. In the Middle Ages this separate area was to a large extent reserved for the archbishop and the cathedral chapter (a college of clerics).

II – High Altar, c. 1310, covered with a one-piece stone slab, the biggest stone in the cathedral. The delicate white arcades made of Carrara marble on the sides contrast with the dark marble background. The statues under the arches represent prophets, apostles and saints. On the four sides of the altar they form a frame for scenes from the life of Our Lady.

Since 1948 the Shrine of the Magi has been displayed behind the High Altar. The shrine was created between c. 1190 and after 1230 in order to hold the relics of the Magi. It consists of a case made of oakwood which is richly embellished with precious stones, filigree and enamel fittings; but the essential decoration are the statues beaten in gold and silver plate. The shrine’s depictions do not concentrate on the relics in it, but comprise the entire salvation history from the beginning of the Old Testament to the future return of Christ. Correspondingly, prophets and kings are shown on the lower long sides. The six apostles on each side above (amongst them an angel in the respective centre) represent the Church.

On the front the Adoration of the Magi (bottom left), the Baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan (bottom right) and the future return of Christ as judge of the world (top) represent three forms of Epiphany (manifestation of the Lord to the Gentiles).

On the back the lower part depicts the Flagellation (left) and the Crucifixion of Christ (right). Above, Christ crowns the saints Felix and Nabor, whose mortal remains were also transferred from Milan and are stored in the shrine together with those of St Gregory of Spoleto.

9- Choir stalls, c. 1308 to 1311, with its 104 seats it is the largest set of choir stalls in Germany. Behind it the painted screens shield the area of the sanctuary. The paintings of the first half of the 14th century show scenes from the life of those saints with a special significance for the cathedral – including a depiction of the transfer of the Magi’s relics to Cologne on the central southern screen.

10- Statues of the choir pillars, c. 1280. The statues of Christ and Our Lady behind the altar are surrounded by the twelve apostles, above them angels playing music. Further above in the clerestory are windows featuring kings, c. 1300: the axis window depicts the Adoration of the Magi before Our Lady with the Infant Jesus on her lap. The scene is flanked by 24 kings on each side arranged in pairs formed by a younger and an older king.

The ambulatory leads past the seven radiating chapels of the choir. Originally they all were equipped with an altar and a tomb aligned with it. The colourful windows show, apart from holy Cologne bishops, above all Cologne saints whose relics are kept in the cathedral or in the city.

11- Chapel of St Engelbert: Funerary monument (wall epitaph) of the Archbishop Anton von Schauenburg (ⴕ 1558), by Cornelius Floris, counterpart of (17). Altarpiece of St George, c. 1520 created in Antwerp and in the cathedral since 1842. Windows: St Gero, St Bruno, St Heribert, St Engelbert; all by Wilhelm Ruprecht, 1956.

12- Chapel of St Maternus: Altarpiece of the Crucifixion, 1500 to 1510. Tomb of Archbishop Philipp von Heinsberg (ⴕ 1191), c. 1300, with a depiction of the Cologne city walls. Windows of St Barbara and St Evergislus (left), St Catherine and St Heribert (right); all by Peter Graft, 1855 to 1857. In the centre: window of St James, after 1322, showing scenes from the saint’s martyrdom.

13- Chapel of St John: Tomb of Archbishop Konrad von Hoch-staden (ⴕ 1261), created soon after his death. This archbishop laid the foundation stone of the Gothic cathedral in 1248. Tomb of the Blessed Richeza (t 1063) from the church of Our Lady at the Steps (St Maria ad Gradus), formerly located to the east of the cathedral. As the wife of King Mieszko II since 1025, Richeza was the first Polish queen. Windows of St Severin and St Anno (left), windows of St Gereon and St Maurice (right), All Saints window (centre); all after 1322.

14- Chapel of the Magi (axis chapel): On the occasion of the choir’s consecration in 1322 the Shrine of the Magi (II) was put here. From this time the ambulatory, which until then was presumably reserved for the cathedral’s and the city’s clergy, was opened for the congregation and the pilgrims. Window in the centre: so-called “Older Bibel Window”, oldest window of the cathedral, c. 1260, juxtaposition of scenes from the Old and New Testament. Window of the Magi (left), window of St Peter and St Maternus (right), both after 1322. Opposite the chapel there is the tomb of Archbishop Dietrich von Moers (ⴕ 1463), designed as a group of statues.

15- Chapel of St Agnes: Tomb of St Irmingardis von Süchteln (ⴕ 1085), created c. 1270. Window of St Cunibert (left) and window of St Agnes (right); both after 1322, the depictions of empty Gothic architecture are completions of 1999/2000.

16- Chapel of St Michael: Tomb of Archbishop Walram von Jülich (ⴕ 1349). Window of St Sylvester and St Gregory of Spoleto (left), window of St Felix and St Nabor (right), window of the Coronation of Our Lady (centre), all after 1322.

17- Chapel of St Stephen: Tomb of Archbishop Gero (ⴕ 976), c.1270. Funerary monument (wall epitaph) of Archbishop Adolph von Schauenburg (ⴕ 1556, counterpart of (11). Window of St Ursula and St Clement (left) by Peter Graft, 1852, so-called “Younger Bible Window” (right), c. 1280, from the former church of the Dominicans.

18-

Tomb of Archbishop Friedrich von Saarwerden (ⴕ 1414).

III – In the Lady Chapel there is the so-called “Altarpiece of the City’s Patron Saints”, which was originally created c. 1445 for the former city hall’s chapel of Our Lady in Jerusalem and has been in the cathedral since 1810. The triptych is attributed to the Cologne painter Stefan Lochner. The central panel portrays the Adoration of the Magi. It is flanked by two patrons of the city: St Ursula and her companions (left) and St Gereon with his Theban legion (right). During Advent and Lent the altarpiece is closed, showing the Annunciation of the Lord.

In the place of this altarpiece used to be the Milan Madonna which today is on a wall pillar on the right. It was created c. 1290 and presumably replaced a destroyed statue of grace depicting Our Lady, which had been brought from Milan to Cologne in 1164 together with the mortal remains of the Magi by Rainaid von Dassel. As it was venerated as “miraculous” the statue belongs to the main religious objects in the cathedral, including the Crucifix of Gero (I) and the Shrine of the Magi (II) Religious objects are relics and artefacts from which one hoped to receive special divine grace through devotion.

In the summer months the weekday services are held in the Lady Chapel.

19- Window representing four popes from Pius IX to Pius XII by Wilhelm Geyer, 1956.

20- Larger than life-size statue of St Christopher, c. 1470.

In the south transept:

21- Altarpiece of St Agilolph, carved altarpiece from Antwerp, c. 1520, from the former collegiate church of Our Lady at the Steps (St Maria ad Gradus). This church, originally located to the east of the cathedral, was demolished in 1821. On the left there is the Shrine of St Agilolph by Josef Kleefisch, 1914.

22- Window of St Paul, inserted in 1868 and destroyed in the Second World War, it was completely reconstructed from 1992 to 1994.

IV – The window of the south transept façade, inserted in 2007, is based on a design by Gerhard Richter. It consists of 72 square mouthblown glass panes measuring 9.6 cm2 with colours deduced from the shades of the other cathedral windows. The artist arranged the colours by largely using a random number generator. By mirroring the 1st and the 3rd, the 2nd and the 5th, and the 4th and the 6th light (vertical opening), a certain organization becomes apparent at the same time. The 11,263 glass panes on 106 m2 therefore represent the tension between chaos and cosmos: a random based chaos integrated into the geometrical shape of the Gothic Revival tracery by its special arrangement. The effect of this entirely abstract window stems from the co Ages, light was a symbol of God.

23- The Bavarian windows in the southern aisles were donated in 1842 by the Bavarian King Ludwig I., created by Max Emmanuel Ainmiller and Heinrich Maria von HeE, and inserted in 1848 to mark the 600th anniversary of the laying of the cathedral’s foundation stone. From right to left: Sermon of St John the Baptist (above), Charlemagne, Friedrich Barbarossa, St Helen, Constantine (below); Adoration of the Shepherds and the Magi (above); the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel (below), Christ’s Deposition from the Cross (above); the four Evangelists (below), Descent of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) (above); the four Latin Doctors of the Church (below); Stoning of St Stephen (above), four holy bishops (below).

General information regarding the architecture of Catholic churches and their interior

Every year over six million people from all parts of the world visit Cologne Cathedral. Many of these guests regard the cathedral as an outstanding sight, placing special emphasis on its significance as a historic monument which was recognized as UNESCO-world heritage in 1996. However, for Christians the cathedral is above all a house of God, in which people for many centuries have congregated for worship and personal prayer. As the church of a Roman-Catholic bishop, the cathedral is the central church of the Archdiocese of Cologne. Every year over 2,700 divine services are held in the cathedral. The construction and the interior of all churches serve this purpose. Even if churches mirrored the ecclesiastical self-conception of a certain era over the centuries, there are some elements and objects to be found in every Catholic church:

Holy Water stoups: Near the entrances and exits there are basins containing Holy (blessed) Water. There, on entering and leaving the church, Catholic Christians dip their finger tips in the blessed water and cross themselves. This is a reminder of baptism, the sacramental rite of admission to the Church, and at the same time a symbol of being innerly prepared to encounter God in a sacred place.

Altars: The altar is a table-like object. In commemoration of the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus shared with his apostles before his death, the congregation gathers to celebrate the memory of Christ’s death and resurrection. For Catholics Christ is present in bread and wine. The central altar of the cathedral where the congregation gathers for the main Sunday services is in the crossing, the centre of the church (7). Apart from this central altar there are further altars in the cathedral, created in different epochs, and used for divine services at different times and on different occasions.

In the front of the crossing (7) there are two lecterns. Here, from the “table of the word”, passages from the Bible are read to the congregation during a divine service. The raised pulpit at the southeastern pillar of the crossing is the place in which these texts are interpreted in the sermon. On the left there is the chair of the archbishop who oversees the Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is called cathedra; the word “cathedral” is derived from it.

An important place is the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament [G]. It is a place of silent devotion. Guided tours and photography are prohibited.

In the cathedral there are tabernacles in two places. In a Catholic church it contains the vessels in which the Blessed Sacrament (consecrated bread) is kept. The presence of the Blessed Sacrament is indicated by a red “perpetual light”.

Images of the Crucifixion: In memory of Christ’s death and resurrection there are many simple crosses as well as images of the crucified Christ. For Christians this image of a torture instrument is linked with the firm faith in redemption and the overcoming of death through the resurrection of Christ.

In various places in the cathedral there are stands with candles. There, faithful Christians say a prayer and offer a candle as a personal request. These areas are to be visited with special care and consideration.

Saints as well as their images and statues are not adored. Their memory or depictions of scenes from the biblical texts serve a better understanding of the mystery of the invisible God. Also the keeping of relics (mortal remains) is a material expression of the personal relation with the saints who for the faithful are alive in God.

The two great organs (6) in the nave and the north transept provide the solemn accompaniment of the congregation’s chant and the musical framework for the divine services.

The church bells in the south steeple and in the crossing’s spirelet are rung before a divine service in order to summon the congregation. Today in Cologne Cathedral there are eleven bells in all which are used according to a set schedule. With 24 tons the St Peter’s bell of 1923 (in the local parlance nicknamed “Fat Peter”) is the heaviest swinging bell in the world. In addition there are the two medieval bells, the Pretiosa, cast in 1448 with a weight of 11 tons, and the Speciosa, cast in 1447 with a weight of 6 tons.

Source

Editor: DOMFORUM Cologne Concept and text: Harald Schluter Printing: medienzentrum süd Layout: Daniela Machinek, handgeklickt.de Picture credits: Hohe Domkirche Köln, Dombauhütte Picture credits back cover: DOMFORUM Photographers: R. Matz und A. Schenk (pp. 4, 6,12,14,16), W. Kralisch (p. 11), C. Meyer (back cover) Artistic design south transept window: Gerhard Richter (p. 16) Translation: Carsten Schmalstieg M.A. Status: October 2017