as far back as A. D. 980, when it was reared from the stones of the
Roman bridge which before that time stretched across to Deutz. The
chapel of the _Minorites_ contains the tomb of Duns Scotus, and a
horrible tale is told of his entombment alive, of his revival in his
coffin, his struggle to escape, and his body being found afterward at
the closed door of the sepulchre, with the hand eaten off by himself ere
he died of hunger.
[Illustration: FONT. S. MARTIN. COLOGNE.]
A peculiarity of Cologne's churches--for it is possessed by the
Apostles' Church, St. Cunibert's, and St. Andrew's--is the western apse.
Such a member is not unique to Cologne, for it exists in the cathedral
at Nevers, in France, and there are yet other examples in Germany; but
its use is sufficiently uncommon to warrant speculation as to its
purpose.
The Apostles' Church has this feature most highly developed. The edifice
is a noble pile dating from early in the eleventh century, but
reconstructed two centuries later, to which period it really belongs so
far as its general characteristics are concerned.
Not all the church architecture of Cologne is Gothic; indeed the
churches of the Apostles and St. Martin each show the Lombard influence
to a marked degree. The three apses, and their round arches and
galleries, are like a bit of Italy transported northward.
St. Maria in Capitola, founded by the wife of Pepin, has the same
characteristics, while St. Martin has the outline of quite the ideal
Romanesque church. Its great tower, which fills the square between the
apses, is certainly one of the most beautiful to be seen on a long round
of European travel. This tower must date from the latter years of the
twelfth century, and yet, although of a period contemporary with the
Gothic of Notre Dame de Paris, it is so thoroughly Romanesque that one
wonders that, in Cologne at least, the style ever died out as it did
when the great Gothic cathedral was conceived.
St. Andrews is another triapsed church, and is considered one of the
best and most elaborately designed fabrics of the Romanesque type on
the Rhine, particularly in respect to its central tower, the nave, and
the west transept.
[Illustration: GROSS St. MARTIN COLOGNE]
There has been much late Gothic rebuilding, but the chief
characteristics of the earlier period distinctly predominated. The apses
are polygonal, but it is thought that they may, in earlier times, have
been semicircular like St. Martin's, St. Mary's, and the Apostles'
Churches.
St. Gérêon's is an octagonal church similar to that of Charlemagne at
Aix-la-Chapelle. Even more than the latter it has been altered, rebuilt,
and added to, but the original outline is still readily traced in spite
of the fact that its foundations may have come down from the fifth
century. It is more difficult, however, to follow its evolution in
detail than it is in the case of Charlemagne's shrine at
Aix-la-Chapelle.
The style is distinctly Rhenish, though not alone in Germany do such
round churches exist; one recalls the Templars' Church in London and the
famous example at Ravenna in Italy.
The great decagon of St. Gérêon's is covered with a domed roof, also
divided into ten sections by groins or ribs, which rise gracefully from
the slender shafts at the angles, meeting at the apex in a boss.
The ancient collegiate buildings which formerly surrounded St. Gérêon's
have disappeared, but there is yet an extensive structure of a more
modern date which enfolds the central pile. The easterly apse is low and
rectangular, while the façade of the west is flanked by two Romanesque
unspired towers.
St. Gérêon's is one of the most curiously constructed churches of the
middle ages. It was founded by the Empress Hélène in honour of the
Théban martyrs, who, to the number of three hundred and ninety-five,
died for their faith, with their captains, Gérêon and Gregory, toward
the end of the third century, in the reign of the Emperor Diocletian.
One enters by a rectangular porch, where are disposed some fragments of
Roman remains. The rotunda, or decagon, so reminiscent of
Aix-la-Chapelle, dates from a period contemporary therewith, so far as
its lower walls are concerned, but the upper portions are of the twelfth
century, at least.
Below the arches are the chapels which surround the decagon in
symmetrical fashion. Above is the organ and the adjoining choir
walls. In the latter are walled up innumerable skulls of the companions
of St. Gérêon, and in each of the chapels is a great sarcophagus, also
containing the bones of the martyrs. Altogether the thought which arises
is not a pleasant one, no matter how worthy the object of preserving
such a vast quantity of human remains.
[Illustration: ST. GÉRÊON'S, _COLOGNE_]
The high altar is quite isolated, and the pavement of the choir itself,
which is aisleless, rises behind it to a height of a dozen or more
steps,--a frequent occurrence in the Rhine churches.
The apse has an insertion of Gothic windows, but the eleventh-century
Romanesque features are still prominent.
In the choir are a series of flamboyant Gothic stalls, above which are
monumental tablets let into the wall.
At the entrance of the choir are two colossal statues of the martyred
saints, then seven others, behind which, at the base of the apside, is
another altar.
The tapestries which surround the choir are of the "_haut-lisse_"
weaving, and represent the life history of Joseph.
Beneath the choir is a vast, antique crypt, which contains yet other
sarcophagi filled, presumably, with human bones. The pavement is
composed of fragments of antique mosaic.
The Jesuit church at Cologne is one of the few Renaissance examples on
the Rhine. It is, however, most unchurchly, when judged by French
standards.
Certainly this German example is highly beautiful both in design and
execution; but it is not churchly, and its great cylindrical columns,
strung together by a gallery, give the appearance of a foyer in an
opera-house or of a modern railway-station, rather than that of a place
of worship.
It is all nave; there are no transepts, and there is no choir properly
speaking, but merely a chancel, not very deep and again very unchurchly,
with two ugly lights on either side, and a sort of pagoda-like screen
which is decidedly theatrical. The carving of the pulpit and the
disposition of all the decoration is extremely bizarre, but undeniably
excellent in execution.
Cologne is an archbishopric which has for suffragan sees, Trèves,
Münster, and Paderborn.
The abbeys and churches which were erected in Cologne, when the
archbishop first took up his residence there in the latter part of the
eighth century, were numerous and exceedingly rich in endowment. So much
was this so that Cologne was given the name of the "Holy City of the
north."
The Jews of Cologne were a numerous body, but a decree of 1425 drove
them all from the city. In 1618 a new decree likewise expelled the
Protestants. Time regulated all this, but in those days Cologne clung
proudly to the position which she had attained as a champion of the
orthodox religion.
In all, there were two abbeys, two collegiate churches, the cathedral,
forty-nine chapels, thirty-nine monasteries, two convents for women, and
many commanderies of the Teutonic order and the Order of Malta.
Near Cologne is the fine old Cistercian abbey of Altenburg. It contains
some very ancient coloured glass, perhaps the most beautiful of its era
extant, for it is thought to date from between 1270 and 1300, when the
art first attained any great excellence.
That which remains to-day shows foliage and diaper in great variety,
with no figures whatever, this being a distinct tenet of the Cistercian
builders, who, in the severity of their rule, frowned down all
decorative effects that bordered upon the frivolous.
These windows at Altenburg, being the best examples of their kind, are
the distinct artistic attraction of the great abbey, which is a dozen or
more miles distant from Cologne.
The choir was commenced in 1255 and completed almost immediately; but
the entire main fabric was not finished until well on in the century
following.
[Illustration]
XXVII
AIX-LA-CHAPELLE
As Rouen in Normandy was known as "the city of the Conqueror," so
Aix-la-Chapelle became known, at a much earlier date, as "the city of
Charlemagne."
Charlemagne was more than a conqueror; he was a statesman, with a
boundless ambition. He founded the German Empire, and changed tribes of
lawless barbarians into a civilized people. At Aix-la-Chapelle he
received the embassies of the Caliph of Baghdad and of the Saxon Kings
of England, and there he endeavoured to advance the enlightenment of his
people by the founding of monasteries and by giving very material aid to
the monks and priests.
Aix therefore became the scene of some of the most interesting episodes
in the life and career of Charlemagne.
At the death of his consort, Frastrade, Charlemagne was inconsolable.
Even when she had been dead for three weeks, the monarch would not hear
her death spoken of. "She did but sleep," he said; and the Emperor clung
to the chamber of his beloved, and would not abate his watchfulness
"till Frastrade woke."
Meantime the affairs of the Empire were falling into confusion.
Provinces were all but revolting, and foreign foes were mustering their
forces. The Emperor's chief counsellor was the Archbishop of Reims. One
night--though this is more legendary than historical--the archbishop was
walking by himself when he came upon a shape in the moonlight which
proclaimed itself as follows: "I am the good genius of Charlemagne. I
came to teach you how to remove the shadow from his spirit. Dig, where I
stand, a grave and let the festering body of Frastrade lie in it. But,
mark you! Ere you move her body, search beneath her tongue and take out
what you find there."
The archbishop hurried toward a grotesquely carved cottage door where
lived a gravedigger.
"No silken sleeper so calm as they
Who seek a couch in the churchyard clay,"
sang a voice from within.
[Illustration: CHARLEMAGNE]
In half an hour the grave was begun, and in another half-hour the
churchman was in the chamber of Frastrade, where the Emperor, exhausted
by his vigil, slept kneeling at the bedside.
The archbishop approached, and, peering into the mouth of the corpse,
saw beneath the tongue a glittering jewel.
With hasty fingers he seized the token, and, as he removed it, a loud
wail startled the silence of the death-chamber and aroused the king.
_The spell was broken._
Throwing but a single glance at the corpse of his wife, Charlemagne left
the chamber, and, even as he went, agreed to the archbishop's
arrangements for her burial.
The grave so secretly made ready was unnecessary, however, for the body
was borne to Mayence, where a tomb raised to the memory of Frastrade is
still to be seen.
At the archbishop's desire Charlemagne once more took his seat in the
Council of State, and once more the Empire was put in order.
The courtiers resented the advent of the churchman into the favour of
the Emperor, who at length, when the court was sitting at
Aix-la-Chapelle, determined to rid himself of the mystic jewel. Choosing
a dark night, he sought a deep pool near the centre of a morass as
being suitable for concealing the gem, which he had determined no man
should ever see. Coming upon the spot, and holding the bauble in his
hand above the waters, he dropped it and saw it sink, as though the pit
were bottomless. But the brilliancy of the gem was inextinguishable.
Next morning the court was pleased to note that the archbishop's
influence over the Emperor was quite gone.
As the Emperor was strolling about the city, he fell upon the pool which
held the gem. There he would sit by the hour, gazing upon the still
waters, near which he afterward built himself a home, known to-day,
though in ruins, as the castle of Frankenberg.
A few years after the death of his wife, Charlemagne built _La
Chapelle_, that great octagonal church which gives the city its French
name. The tomb of Charlemagne is there, inscribed only _Carolo Magno_.
He died at Aix-la-Chapelle in 814, and was buried with great pomp.
Victor Hugo gives Aix-la-Chapelle as the place of his birth, which is
manifestly an error.
Charlemagne's body was placed in the tomb in a sitting posture, and
three centuries later was exhumed by Frederick Barbarossa that he might
sit in the same place, and afterward the German Emperors used the seat
as a sort of throne of state at their coronations.
[Illustration]
The sword and sceptre and all that was mortal of the great Charlemagne
are gone, but his memory still lives in an enduring monument in the
cathedral.
The cathedral is wonderful for its antiquary and charming to all who
come within its spell; furthermore it forms a shrine for
hero-worshippers which should not be neglected.
At one of the entrances is a bronze wolf, placed there to keep in memory
a monkish legend which passes current at Aix-la-Chapelle to this day.
It runs as follows:
"In former times the zealous and devout inhabitants of Aix-la-Chapelle
determined to build a cathedral. For six months the clang of the hammer
and axe resounded with wonderful activity, but alas! the money which had
been supplied by pious Christians for this holy work became exhausted,
the wages of the masons were suspended, and with them their desire to
hew and hammer, for, after all, men were not so very religious in those
days as to build a temple on credit.
"Thus it stood, half-finished, resembling a falling ruin. Moss, grass,
and wild parsley flourished in the cracks of the walls, screech-owls
already discovered convenient places for their nests, and amorous
sparrows hopped lovingly about where holy priests should have been
teaching lessons of chastity.
"The builders were confounded; they endeavoured to borrow here and
there, but no rich man could be induced to advance so large a sum. The
collection from house to house fell short. When the magistracy received
this report, they were out of humour, and looked with desponding
countenances toward the cathedral walls, as fathers look upon the
remains of favourite children.
"At this moment a stranger of commanding figure and something of pride
in his voice and bearing entered and exclaimed: '_Bon Dieu!_ they say
that you are out of spirits. Hem! if nothing but money is wanting, you
may console yourselves, gentlemen. I possess mines of gold and silver,
and both can and will most willingly supply you with a ton of it.'
"The astounded Senators sat like a row of pillars, measuring the
stranger from head to foot. The burgomaster first found his tongue. 'Who
are you, noble lord,' said he, 'that thus, entirely unknown, speak of
tons of gold as though they were sacks of beans? Tell us your name, your
rank in this world, and whether you are sent from the regions above to
assist us.'
"'I have not the honour to reside there,' replied the stranger, 'and,
between ourselves, I beg most particularly to be no longer troubled with
questions concerning who and what I am. Suffice it to say I have gold
plentiful as summer hay!' Then, drawing forth a leathern pouch, he
proceeded: 'This little purse contains the tenth of what I'll give. The
rest shall soon be forthcoming. Now listen, my masters,' continued he,
clinking the coin, 'all this trumpery is and shall remain yours if you
promise to give me the first little soul that enters the door of the new
temple when it is consecrated.'
"The astonished Senators now sprang from their seats as if they had been
shot up by an earthquake, and then rushed pell-mell, and fell all of a
lump into the farthest corner of the room, where they rolled and clung
to each other like lambs frightened at flashes of lightning. Only one of
the party, who had not entirely lost his wits, collected his remaining
senses, and, drawing his head out of the heap, uttered boldly, 'Avaunt,
thou wicked spirit!'
"But the stranger, who was no less a person than Master Urian, laughed
at them. 'What's all this outcry about?' said he at length; 'is my
offence so heinous that you are all become like children? It is I that
may suffer from this business, not you. With my hundreds and thousands I
have not far to run to buy a score of souls. From you I ask but one in
exchange for all my money. What are you picking at straws for? One may
plainly see you are a mere set of humbugs! For the good of the
commonwealth (which high-sounding name is often borrowed for all sorts
of purposes), many a prince would instantly conduct a whole army to be
butchered, and you refuse one single man for that purpose! Fie! I am
ashamed, O overwise counsellors, to hear you reason thus absurdly and
citizen-like. What! do you think to deprive yourselves of the kernel of
your people by granting my wish? Oh, no, there your wisdom is quite at
fault, for, depend on it, hypocrites are always the earliest
church-birds.'
"By degrees, as the cunning fiend thus spoke, the Senators took courage
and whispered in each other's ear: 'What is the use of our resisting?
The grim lion will only show his teeth once; if we don't assent, we
shall infallibly be packed off ourselves. It is better, therefore, to
quiet him directly.'
"Scarcely was this sanguinary contract concluded when a swarm of purses
flew into the room through the doors and windows, and Urian, more civil
than before, took leave without leaving any smell behind. He stopped,
however, at the door, and called out with a grim leer: 'Count it over
again, for fear that I may have cheated you.'
"The hellish gold was piously expended in finishing the cathedral, but,
nevertheless, when the building shone forth in all its splendour, the
whole town was filled with fear and alarm at the sight of it. The fact
was that, although the Senators had promised by bond and oath not to
trust the secret to anybody, one of them had prated to his wife, and she
had made it a market-place tale, so that all declared they would never
set foot within the temple. The terrified council now consulted the
clergy, but the good priests all hung down their heads. At last a monk
cried out: 'A thought strikes me. The wolf which has so long ravaged the
neighbourhood of our town was this morning caught alive. This will be a
well-merited punishment for the destroyer of our flocks; let him be cast
to the devil in the fiery gulf. 'Tis possible the arch hell-hound may
not relish this breakfast, yet _nolens volens_ he must swallow it. You
promised him certainly a soul, but whose was not decidedly specified.'
"The monk's plan was plausible, and the Senate determined to put the
cunning trick into execution. At length the day of consecration arrived,
and orders were given to bring the wolf to the principal entrance of the
cathedral. So, just as the bells began to ring, the trap-door of the
cage was pulled open, and the savage beast darted out into the nave of
the empty church. Master Urian, from his lurking-place, beheld this
consecration offering with the utmost fury. Burning with choler at being
thus deceived, he raged like a tempest and then rushed forth, slamming
the brass gate so violently after him that the rings split in two.
"This crack, which serves to commemorate the priest's victory over the
tricks of the devil, is still exhibited to the gaping travellers who
visit the cathedral."
So much for the legend. But the devil, disappointed at the turn of
affairs in respect to the cathedral, had his revenge when Aix, fifty
years or more ago, first became the centre of public gaming-tables,
which only lately have been deserted by what is known as smart society
for other resorts of a similar nature elsewhere.
There can be no question but that Charlemagne's church at Aix, while it
is itself a rather vivid memory of Ravenna, is the prototype of much
church-building elsewhere. The round churches of Germany followed in due
course, while, in respect to some details, the cathedral has been
claimed to be the forerunner of the true Gothic. At any rate, there is
a reflection of its dome in that which terminates the centre of the
cross of St. Fédêle at Como. The similarity goes to prove that
Charlemagne's industry in church-building in Italy was as great as his
desire of conquest.
The church at Aix-la-Chapelle was frankly designed as the tomb of
Charlemagne, and that perhaps accounts for the combining of the rotunda
of a ceremonial edifice with that of a basilica intended solely for
worship. Part of it was undoubtedly the work of the Comacine builders
whom Charlemagne brought from Italy, and part is nothing more than an
importation or adaptation of classical and Byzantine adornments.
Charlemagne's architects studied geography and climate well when they
erected this link between the Romanesque-Lombardic style of the south
and the Gothic of the north.
That portion of the present cathedral at Aix-la-Chapelle which was built
by Charlemagne is the octagonal projection toward the east. It forms a
truly regal mausoleum, and for twelve hundred years has well stood the
march of time.
It is supposed to have been the most magnificent church edifice of
Charlemagne's era throughout all Europe, though it was seriously
injured by an earthquake a few years after its completion.
[Illustration: AIX-LA-CHAPELLE CATHEDRAL]
Later it was plundered by the Normans, and it suffered disastrous fires
in 1146, 1234, 1236, and 1656, having in consequence undergone many
material changes.
Its external features have been considerably added to, but the prototype
of the round and octagonal churches, subsequently erected in Germany, is
here visible to-day in all its comparative novelty.
The granite and porphyry columns which support the arches giving upon
the interior of the octagon were once taken and carried to Paris, but
fortunately they were returned and again put into position.
The choir of the church, as it now is, was not begun until 1353, and was
finished in the century following. It is pure Gothic of the most
approved variety, whereas the octagon church is as pure Romanesque; and
the two components do not blend or mingle in the least.
In the roof of the octagon is a remarkable specimen of modern wall and
roof decoration, which might better have been omitted.
There is a cloister leading from the northwest chapel which has recently
been restored. It is a delightful retreat, and has the "stations of the
cross" displayed upon its inner wall.
There are numerous rare and valuable relics in the cathedral; the chief
of which is the flagstone, which, bearing the simple words, _Carolo
Magno_, is supposed to cover the actual burial-place of Charlemagne.
Above this is a magnificent chandelier, reminiscent of another in the
church at Hildesheim, the gift of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.
Eight chapels surround the octagon, and in the Chapel of the Holy Cross
is a magnificent altar-piece consisting of a crucifix carved in wood.
Most of the kings and queens who were crowned at Aix-la-Chapelle
presented articles of value to the sacristy. The most magnificent of
these is a sarcophagus in Parian marble representing the Rape of
Proserpine.
The marble chair on which Charlemagne was found sitting in his tomb, and
upon which the German emperors were crowned, is yet to be seen.
The relics in the cathedral are divided into two classes. In the first
class are those which are the most sacred; in the second class are those
of lesser importance. The latter are visible at all times; the former
only once in seven years, when they are exposed for a fortnight.
The choir-stalls are set against the walls in a curious fashion, and
there are chairs instead of the usual German benches for the
congregation.
The appearance of this celebrated cathedral from the outside is most
curious, since the erections and additions of later centuries have not
been symmetrical.
There is a tall, modern spire which is not a beautiful addition, and the
magnificent octagon has had a slate roof added, which likewise is a
detraction.
St. Adelbert's was another ancient church of Aix-la-Chapelle, but it has
given way to a modern edifice bearing the same name, though it is in
good taste and most pleasing in its interior arrangement.
The Minoriten Kirche is a monkish foundation of the fourteenth or
fifteenth century. Its nave and aisles all come under one canopy vault,
and its aisleless choir is squared off abruptly with an enormous carved
and painted altar-piece of no great excellence.