Basel Minster

Coordinates: 47°33′24″N 7°35′32″E / 47.55667°N 7.59222°E / 47.55667; 7.59222
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Basel Minster, with Basel Münsterplatz [de] in the foreground
Basel Minster, viewed across the River Rhine by night

Basel Minster (German: Basler Münster) is a religious building in the

Protestant
church.

The original cathedral was built between 1019 and 1500 in

Freiburg Münster. Ulrich von Ensingen, architect of the towers at the Ulm Minster and the Strasbourg Cathedral, extended the building from 1421. Hans Nußdorf completed the southern Martinstower (after St.Martin
) in 1500.

One of the main landmarks and tourist attractions of Basel, it adds definition to the cityscape with its red

Münster as a heritage site of national significance.[1]

Building history

Early structures

Gallic wall
near the Minster

The hill on which the Minster is located today was a

Roman fort
.

The first

monastery Luxeuil
. There is no historical evidence for the existence of a cathedral before the 9th century.

Second church structure – the Heinrich Münster

Design for organ shutters for Basel Minster by Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1525–26. Holbein includes a view of the cathedral between its founders Kunigunde and Henry II.[2]

Built on the old foundations of the Haito Minster some time after the turn of the first millennium a new building in the early Romanesque style of the Ottonian period was built by order of Bishop Adalberto II (c. 999–1025). Sometimes called “Adalberto Cathedral”, the three-nave cathedral is actually named after its patron Emperor Henry II, in German “Heinrich”. The cathedral is dedicated to Henry II and his wife Kunigunde. The prince-bishop governed the city as representative of the Emperor who gained possession of Basel in 1006.

Excavations from 1973 to 1974 prove that the crypt of this building,

consecrated in 1019, had not been expanded. At the end of the 11th century a tower made of light-colored limestone and molasse
was erected on the western side of the building. This historic structure remains forming the bottom part of the north tower (Georgsturm) today. Heinrich Minster did not possess a tower on the south side.

Third church structure – late Romanesque

Minster plan

The building as it stands today dates back for the most part to the late

naves and a transept was built. The western facade was finished sometime in the latter part of the 13th century. A third storey was added to northern Georgsturm, and the southern Martinsturm was started.[3]

Even though supported by massive

cloisters were added. The minster served as a bishop’s see until 1529 during the Reformation. Today's congregation forms part of the Evangelical-Reformed Church of the Canton Basel-Stadt. In the 19th century two major restorations took place. From 1852 until 1857 the rood screen was moved and the crypt on the western side was closed. In the 20th century the main aim of renovations has been to emphasize the late Romanesque architecture and to reverse some modifications made in the 1850s. Additionally, the floor was returned to its original level in 1975 and the crypt reopened. A workshop dedicated to taking care of the increasingly deteriorating sandstone exterior was set up in 1985.[citation needed
]

Important historical events

Pope's Election at Basel Cathedral

Felix V

In 1424,

Basel University as an independent university on 4 April 1460.[citation needed
]

Destruction of religious paintings

Zurich
, 1524

During the

Protestant Reformation, many valuable pieces of art belonging to the city of Basel and the minster were destroyed in 1528 and 1529. Numerous citizens stormed many of the churches in Basel, some of them by armed force in order to demolish religious paintings and statues. Huldrych Zwingli, an influential church reformer, condemned the worship of God in the form of pictures as idolatry
.

A group of 40 armed men is said to have ascended to the minster from the crowded market place at approximately 1 pm on 9 February 1529. After a first attack on the church, during which an

crucifixes
, and images of the Virgin Mary and saints. In the course of the afternoon the iconoclasm extended to other churches in Basel as well.

The impressive treasure of the minster was saved and remained complete until the Canton of Basel was split into "half-cantons" in 1833. In the 1850s new stained glass windows by Franz Xaver Eggert have been installed.

Architecture

Georgsturm and Martinsturm

Martinsturm (62.7 m) and Georgsturm (64.2 m)

The main front which points at the west is bestrided by two towers. The northern tower is called Georgsturm (64.2 m) and the southern tower is called Martinsturm (62.7 m). The towers are named after

pilasters below the particular towers. The statue of Holy Martin originated from the year 1340; today, the archetype can be found in the Klingentalmuseum. A mechanic clock and a sundial are located above the archetype. It is remarkable that the sundial of the Basler Münster shows the “wrong time” due to the Basler Zeit
. Below the Georgsturm a monumental picture (1372) can be found which shows knight Georg fighting against a remarkably small dragon.

After a heavy

steeples, was reconstructed with only two steeples remaining. At the older Georgsturm, the lower brighter part that has remained untouched, can still be seen. In 1500 a gorgeous finial was put on top of the Martinsturm. By using the steep spiral stairs in the southern steeple it is possible to see the old church clock from 1883. The belfry is situated in between the two steeples which are connected through a gallery. Georgturm and Martinsturm can both be accessed by 242 stairs. From there one can get an overwhelming view of the city of Basel and the foothills of the Black Forest and the Jura Mountains
.

Both of the steeples consist of three lower, undivided

storeys and several Freigeschosse
. The two lower storeys are simple and block-like. The steeples’ upper storeys soar up the tracery gallery. As those were not constructed simultaneously, they differ slightly in their outer appearance. In contrast to the southern steeple, the octagonally cross-sectioned steeple and the steeple topping attach only over a rectangle storey at the northern steeple. Comparable to the Freiburger Münster, lank Fialentürme project at the corners of the octagons.

Main Porch

The benefactor Henry II at the main entrance

An empty column, which originally carried a statue of the Virgin Mary, is situated between the doors of the main

curvatures depicting prophets and kings, roses, dancing angels and Abraham
have been preserved.

The benefactors Henry II and his wife, Empress Kunigunde, are portrayed left of the main porch. In the portrait, the emperor, depicted as a surprisingly young and beardless man, is carrying a church model in his arms, which identifies him as the benefactor. Only after the renovation of the exterior (1880 – 1980), the empress was given a cross as another symbol of identification. Originally, she was carrying gloves.

On the right one can see the pictures of a

seducer
(“Prince of this World") and a misguided virgin.

While the virgin smiles and starts to undress, toads and snakes crawl in the back of the seducer. They should embody the evil. The image dates back to roughly 1280. The statues and brickwork of the cathedral consist of red sandstone which was found in

Degerfelden
.

Uses

Diocese of Basel
from 1605

Until the Reformation, Basel Minster was the church of the bishop and the main church of the

canons of the cathedral chapter
were part of the Minster. From the 12th century onwards, the canons lived in their own private homes in the vicinity of the cathedral.

On 9 February 1529, all religious images were removed from the cathedral and the Minster became the main congregation in the city of the

City of Basel, however, still contributes three quarters of the building's maintenance costs. Currently the congregations of the Gellert Church and St. James Church
, two other churches in Basel, also make up part of the congregation of the Minster. Regular services and special musical events take place in the church throughout the year. The church also hosts many concerts of the church choir, choral society and various other church organisations.

Burials

Tomb of Gertrude of Hohenberg

In the choir passage is the sarcophagus of Queen Anne of Habsburg and her son Charles. She had married in 1254 as Gertrude of Hohenberg the future King Rudolf of Habsburg[6] and died in 1281 in Vienna. From there, her body was transferred to Basel. The bones found in her grave (a woman, a child, a man) were transferred in 1770 to Saint Blaise Abbey, Black Forest; later on to Saint Paul's Abbey, Lavanttal.

Gallery

References

Footnotes

  1. Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance
    (1995), p. 75.
  2. ISBN 978-3-7913-3580-3
    , pp. 346–47.
  3. ^ Basel Münster website - Architecture 12th and 13th centuries (in German) accessed 29 June 2014
  4. ^ Basel Münster website - Architecture 14th and 15th centuries Archived February 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (in German) accessed 4 May 2012
  5. ^ Rey, Karin (26 December 2019). "Das versteckte Porträt am Martinsturm". Basler Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  6. ^ Grütter, Daniel (2002). "Das Grabmal der Königin Anna von Habsburg im Basler Münster". E-Periodica. p. 60.

External links

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47°33′24″N 7°35′32″E / 47.55667°N 7.59222°E / 47.55667; 7.59222

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