Exploring The Priceless Value Of Cologne Cathedral

The Cologne Cathedral, officially known as Hohe Domkirche Sankt Petrus, is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture. Construction began in 1248 and was completed in 1880, with the cathedral standing at 157 metres tall. It is Germany's most visited landmark, attracting an average of 6 million people a year. The cathedral is famous for its Gothic architecture, intricate details, tall spires, and stunning stained glass windows. It also houses several important religious relics, including the Shrine of the Three Kings, which is believed to contain the remains of the Three Wise Men. While there is no exact figure on how much the cathedral is worth, its exceptional intrinsic value, artistic masterpieces, and role as a testament to the strength and endurance of European Christianity make it a priceless treasure.

The cathedral's history

The history of the Cologne Cathedral, or Kölner Dom, goes back to the 4th century when the site was first occupied by Christian churches. The cathedral that preceded the current one was destroyed by fire in 1248, and construction on the present cathedral began immediately after. Designed in the Gothic style, emulating French church architecture, the present cathedral was initially built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, which were brought to Cologne from Milan in 1164.

The choir of the cathedral was consecrated in 1322, but construction continued until 1560, or 1520 according to some sources. The project then stalled for centuries, with a large wooden crane left standing about 184 feet above the ground at the top of the south tower. During the 1790s, the cathedral fell into the hands of French Revolution troops, who used it as a stable and a hay barn. Restoration work began in the 1820s, spurred on by Sulpiz Boisserée, a German proponent of the Gothic Revival movement.

In 1842, a new cornerstone was laid by King Frederick William IV of Prussia, and work to complete the cathedral resumed in earnest. The architects Ernst Friedrich Zwirner and Richard Voigtel led the project, guided by architectural drawings made in about 1300. Construction finally ended in 1880, over seven centuries after it first began.

Cologne Cathedral was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It is the largest Gothic church in northern Europe, featuring immense twin towers that stand 515 feet tall. The cathedral is renowned for its art treasures, including the massive gold Shrine of the Three Kings, which is said to contain relics of the Magi who attended the infant Jesus. The shrine, a masterpiece of medieval goldwork, was crafted by the noted goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun and completed in about 1220.

During World War II, the cathedral was badly damaged by Allied air raids, but the medieval windows had been removed beforehand. By 1948, the choir had been restored and was in regular use, and the rest of the interior was restored by 1956. In the late 20th century, work began to repair the effects of acid rain on the stonework.

Architectural details

The Cologne Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece, constructed over seven centuries, with builders inspired by the same faith and a spirit of absolute fidelity to the original plans. The cathedral features immense twin towers that stand 515 feet (157 metres) tall, making it the tallest twin-spired church in the world. The towers give the cathedral the largest façade of any church in the world.

The cathedral's interior is filled with intricate details, including the high altar, which is constructed of black marble, with a solid slab 15 ft (4.6 m) long forming the top. The front and sides are overlaid with white marble niches containing figures, with the Coronation of the Virgin at the centre. The choir retains a great many of its original fittings, including the carved stalls and a large stone statue of St Christopher. The nave's ceiling reaches a height of 142 feet. Other highlights of the cathedral include flying buttresses and spitting gargoyles.

The Shrine of the Three Kings is the true highlight of the cathedral. This shrine is believed to hold the relics of the Magi who attended the infant Jesus. The shrine, a masterpiece of medieval goldwork, was begun by the noted goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun in 1182 and completed in about 1220. It is the largest reliquary in the Western world.

The cathedral's oldest stained-glass windows were crafted in the 13th century, with some of the glass dating back to the 14th century. More modern in style is an immense stained-glass window by the Cologne-based artist Gerhard Richter, completed in 2007. This window consists of more than 11,000 square panes in 72 solid colours, seemingly arranged at random within the many-mullioned window.

The Shrine of the Three Kings

The shrine is considered the high point of Mosan art and is one of the largest reliquaries in the Western world. It is approximately 110 cm (43 in) wide, 153 cm (60 in) high, and 220 cm (87 in) long, and is shaped like a basilica. It is adorned with intricate decorations and gold-plated silver figures that narrate the stories of the Three Magi, the Virgin Mary, and the life of Christ.

The relics of the Three Kings were first brought to Constantinople by Empress Helena, Constantine the Great's mother, and then to Milan in an oxcart by Eustorgius I, the city's bishop, in 314. In 1164, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa took the relics from Milan and gifted them to the Archbishop of Cologne, Rainald of Dassel, who transferred them to Cologne that same year. The shrine was built to house these relics and was constructed between 1180 and 1225, with parts designed by the renowned medieval goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun.

The shrine has undergone several periods of damage and restoration throughout its history. On January 28, 1574, several gems and jewels, including the Ptolemy cameo, were stolen and have never been recovered. The shrine was last restored between 1961 and 1973 after being removed from the cathedral during World War II.

On July 20, 1864, the shrine was opened, revealing human remains and coins from the time of Archbishop Philip I. After inspection, the bones were returned to the shrine. The shrine continues to attract pilgrims to Cologne, and it remains a significant attraction within the cathedral.

The cathedral's windows

The windows of Cologne Cathedral are a mix of medieval and modern stained glass, with some dating back to the 14th century. The clerestory windows in the choir of the cathedral have 10,170 sq. ft. of glass surface and contain the largest series of stained glass windows from the 14th century still in existence in Europe. Ninety-five per cent of the glass is original. The medieval windows were removed before the Allied air raids of 1944, so they survived the bombing that damaged the rest of the cathedral.

The nave features many 19th-century stained-glass windows, including the Bayernfenster, a set of five on the south side that were a gift from Ludwig I of Bavaria. They are highly representative of the painterly German style of the time. Other 19th-century windows include the Lamentation Window (1847), the St Stephen Window (1848), the Pentecost Window (1848), and the Adoration of the Magi Window (1846).

In 2007, the cathedral's south transept received a new stained-glass window designed by the Cologne artist Gerhard Richter. The window consists of 11,263 glass squares in 72 colours, arranged randomly by a random number generator. The window was created as a memorial to the German martyrs of the 20th century, such as Edith Stein and Maximilian Kolbe, and to commemorate the Holocaust.

The cathedral's bells

Cologne Cathedral is home to eleven church bells, four of which are medieval. The first of these, the Dreikönigsglocke ("Bell of the Three Kings"), was cast in 1418, installed in 1437, and recast in 1880. Two other medieval bells, the Pretiosa (10.5 tonnes) and the Speciosa (5.6 tonnes), were installed in 1448 and remain in place today.

In the 19th century, as the building neared completion, there was a desire to increase the number of bells. This was facilitated by Kaiser Wilhelm I, who donated French bronze cannons captured between 1870 and 1871. The 22 pieces of artillery were used to cast a bell of over 27,000 kilos on 19 August 1873. The tone was not harmonious, and another attempt was made on 13 November 1873. The Central Cathedral Association, which had agreed to take over the costs, did not want this bell either. Another attempt was made on 3 October 1874, and the bell was shipped to Cologne. On 13 May 1875, it was installed in the cathedral. This Kaiserglocke was eventually melted down in 1918 to support the German war effort. The Kaiserglocke was the largest free-swinging bell in history.

The largest bell in the cathedral is the Saint Peter bell (also known as the Petersglocke, Dicker Pitter, or Decke Pitter), which weighs approximately 24,000 kilograms (53,000 lb). It was cast in 1923 by Heinrich Ulrich in Apolda and hangs in the belfry of the south tower. With a diameter of 322 centimetres (10 ft 7 in), it is the second-largest (horizontally mounted) freely swinging ringable bell in the world, after the bell of the People's Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest, Romania.

The Saint Peter bell is only rung on special occasions, such as New Year's Day and Christmas Day, as well as the declaration or death of an Archbishop of Cologne or of a Pope. On rare occasions, all the bells of the cathedral are rung together, such as on the eve of 28 March 1936, for a Friedensappell ("peace appeal") by Hitler. The Saint Peter bell also declared the end of World War II above the ruins of Cologne in 1945 and the reunification of Germany in 1990.

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