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Encyclopedia > Aachen Cathedral

Aachen Cathedral*
UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Cathedral in 2005.
State Party Flag of Germany Germany
Type Cultural
Criteria i, ii, iv, vi
Reference 3
Region Europe and North America
Inscription History
Inscription 1978  (2nd Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Aachen Cathedral, frequently referred to as the "Imperial Cathedral" (in German: Kaiserdom) is a Roman catholic church in Aachen, western Germany. The church is the oldest cathedral in northern Europe and was known as the "Royal Church of St. Mary at Aachen" during the middle ages. It was the site of some Carolingian royal and imperial coronations. For 600 years, from 936 to 1531, the Aachen chapel was the church of coronation for 30 German kings and 12 queens. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 1500 pixel, file size: 1. ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Oche redirects here; in darts the oche is the line from which players must throw. ... For other uses, see Cathedral (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Events King Taejo of Goryeo (Wanggeon) defeats Hubaekje. ... January 26 - Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake - thousands die. ... A asses is a ceremony marking the investment of a monarch with regal power through, amongst other symbolic acts, the placement of a crown upon his or her head. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...


The church became an episcopal seat in 1802 and remained so until 1825. In 1930 the diocese was reestablished.

Contents

Structure

Charlemagne began the construction of the Palatine Chapel around 792, along with the building of the rest of the palace structures.[1] Charlemagne (left) and Pippin the Hunchback. ... Charlemagnes chapel in Aachen. ... Events Irenes title of empress confirmed. ...

Floorplan of Charlemagne's palace chapel
Floorplan of Charlemagne's palace chapel

It was consecrated in 805 by Pope Leo III in honor of the Virgin Mary. The core of the Aachen cathedral is the Palatine Chapel which is surprisingly small in comparison to the later additions. Image File history File links AaachenChapelDB.jpg Aachen: Palace chapel, from G. Dehio and G von Bezold, Die Kirchliche Baukunst des Abendlands, 1888 Lithograph File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links AaachenChapelDB.jpg Aachen: Palace chapel, from G. Dehio and G von Bezold, Die Kirchliche Baukunst des Abendlands, 1888 Lithograph File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Events Emperor Nicephorus I of Byzantium suffers a major defeat against the Saracens at Crasus. ... Infobox Pope| English name=Leo III| image= | birth_name=Unknown| term_start=December 27, 795 | term_end=June 12, 816| predecessor=Adrian I| successor=Stephen IV| birth_date=Date of birth unknown| birthplace=Rome, Italy| dead=dead|death_date=June 12, 816| deathplace=Place of death unknown| other=Leo}} Pope Leo III (died June 12... The term Virgin Mary has several different meanings: Mary, the mother of Jesus, the historical and multi-denominational concept of Mary Blessed Virgin Mary, the Roman Catholic theological and doctrinal concept of Mary Marian apparitions shrines to the Virgin Mary Virgin Mary in Islam, the Islamic theological and doctrinal concept... A palatine chapel is any chapel that serves a palace. ...


In order to sustain the enormous flow of pilgrims in the Gothic period a choir hall was built: a two-part Capella vitrea (glass chapel) which was consecrated on the 600th anniversary of Charlemagne's death. In 1978, it was one of the first 12 items to make the entry into the UNESCO list of world heritage sites, as the first German and one of the first three European historical ensembles. The western facade of Reims Cathedral, France. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ...


Treasury

The Aachen cathedral treasury displays sacral masterpieces of the late Classical, Carolingian, Ottonian and Staufian period - among them there are some unique exhibits like the "Cross of Lothair" the "Bust of Charlemagne" and the "Persephone sarcophagus". The Cathedral Treasury in Aachen is regarded as one of the most important ecclesiastical treasuries in northern Europe. The term treasury was first used in classical times to describe the votive buildings erected to house gifts to the gods, such as the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi or the many buildings put up in Olympia, Greece by competing city-states, to impress each other during the Ancient Olympic Games. ... Classicism door in Olomouc, The Czech Republic Teatr Wielki in Warsaw Church La Madeleine in Paris Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicist seeks to emulate. ... Also see: France in the Middle Ages. ... Ottonian dynasty is a name sometimes given to a ruling dynasty of German kings, sometimes regarded as the first dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire, (though Charlemagne is commonly viewed as the original founder. ... Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of Kings of Germany, many of whom were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Dukes of Swabia. ... Lothair (825 - August 8, 869), was the second son of the emperor Lothair I. On his fathers death in 855, he received for his kingdom a district lying west of the Rhine, between the North Sea and the Jura mountains, which was called Regnum Lotharii and early in the... Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1874) (Tate Gallery, London In Greek mythology, Persephone (Greek Περσεφόνη, Persephónē) was the Queen of the Underworld of epic literature. ... The Etruscan Sarcophagus of the Spouses, at the National Etruscan Museum. ... This article should be transwikied to wiktionary Ecclesiastical means pertaining to the Church (especially Christianity) as an organized body of believers and clergy, with a stress on its juridical and institutional structure. ...


Final Resting Place of Charlemagne

When he died in 814, he was buried in a vault in the cathedral. Events Louis the Pious succeeds Charlemagne as king of the Franks and Emperor. ...


In 1000, Otto III had Charlemagne's vault opened. Otto of Lomello, one of the courtiers who accompanied him, recorded the event, which is reported in the Chronicle of Novalesia, written about 1026. The account reads:
So we went in to Charles. He did not lie, as the dead otherwise do, but sat as if he were living. He was crowned with a golden crown and held in his gloved hands a sceptre; the fingernails had penetrated through the gloves and stuck out. Above him was a canopy of limestone and marble. Entering, we broke through this. Upon our entrance, a strong smell struck us. Kneeling, we gave Emperor Charles our homage, and put in order the damage that had been done. Emperor Charles had not lost any of his members to decay, except only the tip of his nose. Emperor Otto replaced this with gold, took a tooth from Charles’s mouth, walled up the entrance to the chamber, and withdrew again.[2]
A large picture representing Otto and his nobles gazing on the dead Emperor was painted on the wall of the great room in the Town Hall. Europe in 1000 The year 1000 of the Gregorian Calendar was the last year of the 10th century as well as the last year of the first millennium. ... Otto III in a medieval manuscript Otto III (980 – January 23, 1002, Paterno, Italy) was the fourth ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. ... Charlemagne (left) and Pippin the Hunchback. ... City Hall is a 1996 film directed by Harold Becker. ...


In 1165, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa again opened the vault and placed the remains in a sculptured sarcophagus made of Parian marble, said to have been the one in which Augustus Caesar was buried. The bones lay in this until 1215, when Frederick II had them put in a casket of gold and silver. A vellum codex found interred with him was removed. Events November 23 - Pope Alexander III enters Rome. ... Frederick Barbarossa in a 13th century chronicle. ... Parian marble is a fine-grained semitranslucent pure-white marble quarried during the classical era on the Greek island of Paros. ... Augustus Caesar Caesar Augustus (Latin: IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·F·AVGVSTVS)¹ (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), known earlier in his life as Gaius Octavius or Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, was the first Roman Emperor and is traditionally considered the greatest. ... A certified copy of the Magna Carta March 4 - King John of England makes an oath to the Pope as a crusader to gain the support of Innocent III. June 15 - King John of England was forced to put his seal on the Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning... Frederick II (December 26, 1194 – December 13, 1250), of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was a pretender to the title of King of the Romans from 1212 and unopposed holder of that monarchy from 1215. ... For people named Coffin, see Coffin (surname). ...


Shrine of the Virgin Mary

The Shrine of St Mary rests in the choir of the church and dates from 1220-1239. Adorned with the figures of Christ, Mary, Charlemagne, Pope Leo III and the Twelve Apostles, the shrine contains the four great Aachen relics: St. Mary's cloak, Christ's swaddling clothes, St. John the Baptist's beheading cloth and Christ's loincloth. Following a custom begun in 1349, every seven years the relics are taken out of the shrine and put on display during the Great Aachen Pilgrimage. This pilgrimage most recently took place during June 2007.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Coordinates: 50°46′29″N, 6°05′04″E Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...



  Results from FactBites:
 
Aachen: Definition and Much More from Answers.com (1877 words)
Aachen ([ˈaːxən] Dutch Aken, French Aix-la-Chapelle, Latin Aquisgranum, Ripuarian Oche) is a spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands, 65 km to the west of Cologne, and the westernmost city in Germany.
In 936, Otto I was crowned emperor in the cathedral.
The tombs of Charlemagne and Otto III are in the cathedral.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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