Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf

The Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf (

The Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf is a well-preserved example of a double church from the High Middle Ages. The church has recently been plastered white but it is believed that this is what it looked like in the 12th century. It was originally conceived as a Zentralbau^[1] (central structure without a nave), following the example of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen. The church has a tall crossing tower and a dwarf gallery that not only encircles the entire apse but also both transepts. The dwarf gallery is accessible via an external staircase. The Romanesque capitals of the gallery are closely related to the carved capitals seen at the Basilica of Saint Servatius in Maastricht, where Arnold of Wied had initiated an extensive building campaign during his provostship.^[2]

The 12th-century frescos are largely original. In 1863 they were rediscovered underneath a layer of white plaster that had covered them for several decades. Both the painted upper chapel and the lower chapel are of great art historical significance. The subject matter for the frescos was derived from the teachings of contemporary

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  Doppelkirche
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  Dwarf gallery
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  Interior lower church
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  Painted upper chapel

Bibliography

• Hartog, E. den, Romanesque Sculpture in Maastricht. Maastricht, 2002
• Kunisch, J., Konrad III., Arnold von Wied und der Kapellenbau von Schwarzrheindorf. Düsseldorf, 1966
• Kern, P., Das Bildprogramm der Doppelkirche von Schwarzrheindorf, die Lehre vom vierfachen Schriftsinn und die 'memoria' des Stifters Arnold von Wied. In: Deutsche Vierteljahrsschrift 77 (2003), 353-379

References

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