Page 73 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

GERMANY 71
-<Altar of
the Magi
l;;eJ Pinnacles
Elab04'at~y dec04'ated,
spirelike structures top
Semicircular Arches
the supporting pillars.
These arches were used to
transfer the thrust of the
vaults onto the buttresses.
IOiJ Gothic stalls
Petrusportal
The portal of St. Peter, the only
one bui It in the second half of
the 14th century, has five
Gothic figures.
• ._.arnburg
BQrlin e PO lAND
GERMANY
•Frankfurt CZEC H
A Treasury REPUBLIC
H ous~ in the cath~ral's 13th-century
stone c~lar vaults, the treasury contains a FRAI'ICl
large collection of golden objects, induding
the Engelbert Reliquary (c. 1630) abwe.
THE CATHEDRAL BELLS
The 3.4-ton bell cast in 14181n honor of the
T hree Kings was tuned to the note B. I t hung
in a belfry adjacent to the cathedral, but in
1437 it was moved to the south tower. Eleven
years later, it was joined by Europe's largest
bell, the 1 0-ton Preuosa (Precious One), tuned
to G. When rung together, the bells produced
~ H igh altar a G-major chord.ln 1449, the 4.3-ton
Spedosa (Beautiful One)was added It was
tuned to A, so that Cologne Cathedra would
be the first church to have tts bells tt..ned to a
melody rather than a chord. The first bell has
since been replaced.
THE CHOIR
Around 30 years after the cathedral's
foundation stone was I aid, the pi liars of the
choir were decorated with early-Gothic statues
of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the 12 Apostles.
These larger-than-life figures are clad in
splendid robes. Above them there is a choir
of angels playing muSical Instruments,
symbolizing the heavenly music played to
celebrate the celestial coronat1on of the Virgin
M ary. The coronation itself is depicted in
the figures of Christ and M ary. A similar
interpretation, dating from 1248, can be
seen in the church of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.
T here, too, 12 of the pi liars supporting the
building symbolize the 12 Apostles as the most
important pillars of the Christian church.
SHRINE OF THE THREE KINGS
The Shrine of the Three Kings, the largest
reliquary in the Western world, IS located
near the high altar. Studded vvith precious
and semiprecious stones, this I idded sarco-
~ Altar of the Magi
This splendid altar phagus is a masterpiece of m edi eva I
(c 1445) is the work gol dsmithery. Its sides are decorated with
of Stephan Lochner images of the prophets and Apostles, the
and is dedicated to the
Three Kings, Cologne's ad or at ion of the kings and the baptism of
patron saints. Christ. The rear features a portrait of Rainald
von Dassel, archbishop of Cologne (1159-67).
Buttresses
Unprec~ented structural As chancellor to Emperor Barbarossa (r 1152-
height was achiEV~ through 90), the archbishop is said to have brought the
the use of flying buttresses, mortal remains of the Three Kings from Milan
which support the entire bulk
of the cathedral. to Cologne in 1164. On January 6 every year,
the front of the shrine is opened to reveal the
golden-crowned skulls of the kings.