Palace of Aachen

Coordinates: 50°46′32″N 6°05′02″E / 50.77556°N 6.08389°E / 50.77556; 6.08389
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

50°46′32″N 6°05′02″E / 50.77556°N 6.08389°E / 50.77556; 6.08389

A possible reconstruction of Charlemagne's palace

The Palace of Aachen was a group of buildings with residential, political, and religious purposes chosen by Charlemagne to be the center of power of the Carolingian Empire. The palace was located north of the current city of Aachen, today in the German Land (or state) of North Rhine-Westphalia. Most of the Carolingian palace was built in the 790s but the works went on until Charlemagne's death in 814. The plans, drawn by Odo of Metz, were part of the program of renovation of the kingdom decided by the ruler. Today much of the palace is ruined, but the Palatine Chapel has been preserved and is considered a masterpiece of Carolingian architecture and a characteristic example of architecture from the Carolingian Renaissance.

Simplified plan: 1 = council hall ; 2 = porch ; 3 = treasury and archives ; 4 = gallery ; 5 = tribunal and garrison ; 6 = metatorium ; 7 = curia ; 8 = secretarium ; 9 = chapel ; 10 = atrium ; 11 = thermae

Historical context

The palace before Charlemagne

The construction of Aachen, illumination by Jean Fouquet, in the Grandes Chroniques de France, 15th century. Charlemagne is in the foreground.

In

pagan idols.[3] As soon as he came to power in 768, Charlemagne spent time in Aachen as well as in other villas in Austrasia.[2]
In the 790s, he decided to settle down in order to govern first his kingdom, then his empire, more efficiently.

The choice of Aachen

Statue of Charlemagne in front of Aachen's city hall

The site of Aachen was chosen by Charlemagne after careful consideration in a key moment of his reign.

pagan Saxony in 772–780, but this area resisted and the war with the Saxons lasted for about thirty years. Charlemagne ended the Germanic custom of an itinerant court moving from place to place and established a permanent capital. As he was ageing, he decreased the frequency of military expeditions and, after 806, virtually did not leave Aachen.[5]

Aachen's geographic location was a decisive factor in Charlemagne's choice: the site was situated in the Carolingian heartlands of

King of Aquitaine,[6]
which enabled him to reside in the North.

Carolingian Empire and its capital, Aachen, in the early 9th century.

Besides, settling down in Aachen enabled Charlemagne to control the operations in Saxony from a closer position.[7] Charlemagne also considered other advantages of the place: surrounded with forest abounding in game, he intended to abandon himself to hunting in the area.[8] The ageing emperor could also benefit from Aachen's hot springs.

Model of the Palace of Aachen

The scholars of the Carolingian era presented Charlemagne as the "New

Worms in 793[11]
also encouraged him to follow such a plan.

Importance of the project entrusted to Odo of Metz

Eginhard is Charlemagne's biographer; the name of the architect of the Palace of Aachen is known thanks to his work (14th/15th-century illumination)

Historians know almost nothing about the architect of the Palace of Aachen,

De Architectura.[12]

The decision to build the palace was taken in the late 780s or the early 790s, before Charlemagne held the title of emperor. Works began in 794[13] and went on for several years. Aachen quickly became the favourite residence of the sovereign. After 807, he almost did not leave it any more. In the absence of sufficient documentation, it is impossible to know the number of workers employed, but the dimensions of the building make it probable that there were many of them.

The geometry of the plan chosen was very simple: Odo of Metz decided to keep the layout of the Roman roads and inscribe the square in 360 Carolingian

decumanus). To the north of this square lay the council hall, to the south the Palatine Chapel. The architect drew a triangle toward the East to connect the thermae to the palace complex. The two best-known buildings are the council hall (today disappeared) and the Palatine Chapel, included into the Cathedral. The other buildings are hardly identified.[17] Often built in timber framing, made of wood and brick, they have been destroyed. Lastly, the palace complex was surrounded with a wall.[18]

The arrival of the court in Aachen and the construction work stimulated the activity in the city that experienced growth in the late 8th century and the early 9th century, as craftsmen, traders and shopkeepers had settled near the court. Some important ones lived in houses inside the city. The members of the Palace Academy and Charlemagne's advisors such as

Eginhard and Angilbert owned houses near the palace.[18]

Council Hall

Location of the hall within the Palace (red)

Located at the North of the Palace complex, the great Council Hall (

Ermold the Black states that there Charlemagne "spoke down from his golden seat."[19]

The Constantine Basilica in Trier, Germany was probably used as a model for Aachen's Council Hall

The dimensions of the hall (1,000 m2) were suitable to the reception of several hundreds of people at the same time:

porticos on the southern side of the hall gave access to the building. The southern apse cut through the middle of this entrance.[3]

Palatine Chapel

Main article:
Palatine Chapel in Aachen

Description

Section of the Palatine Chapel
Interior of the Palatine Chapel

The Palatine Chapel was located at the other side of the palace complex, at the South. A stone gallery linked it to the aula regia. It symbolized another aspect of Charlemagne's power, religious power. Legend has it that the building was consecrated in 805 by

Virgin Mary
, Mother of Christ.

Several buildings used by the clerics of the chapel were arranged in the shape of a

exedrae in the West. But the center piece was the chapel, covered with a 16,54 meters wide and 31 meters high octagonal cupola.[22][23] Eight massive pillars receive the thrust of large arcades. The nave on the first floor, located under the cupola, is surrounded by an aisle; here stood the Palace servants.[24]

The two additional floors (

Saint Peter
in the far end of the Western choir.

Bronze portal (Wolfstür)

Charlemagne wanted his chapel to be magnificently decorated, so he had massive bronze doors made in a foundry near Aachen. The walls were covered with marble and polychrome stone.[25] The columns, still visible today, were taken from buildings in Ravenna and Rome, with the Pope's permission.

The walls and cupola were covered with

Eginhard
provides a description of the inside in his Life of Charlemagne (c. 825–826):

[...] Hence it was that he [Charlemagne] built the beautiful basilica at Aachen, which he adorned with gold and silver and lamps, and with rails and doors of solid brass. He had the columns and marbles for this structure brought from Rome and Ravenna, for he could not find such as were suitable elsewhere. [...] He provided it with a great number of sacred vessels of gold and silver and with such a quantity of clerical robes that not even the doorkeepers who fill the humblest office in the church were obliged to wear their everyday clothes when in the exercise of their duties.[26]

Symbolism

cubits. The mosaic of the cupola, hidden today behind a 19th-century restoration, showed Christ in Majesty with the 24 elders of the Apocalypse. Other mosaics, on the vaults of the aisle, takes up this subject by representing the heavenly Jerusalem. Charlemagne's throne, located in the West of the second floor, was placed on the seventh step of a platform.[28]

Other buildings

Treasury and archives

The

chamberman was the officer liable for the rulers' treasury and wardrobe. Finance administration fell on the archichaplain, assisted by a treasurer.[29]
The treasury gathered gifts brought by the kingdom's important people during the general assemblies or by foreign envoys. This made up an heterogeneous collection of objects ranging from precious books to weapons and clothing. The king would also buy items from merchants visiting Aachen.

The

clergymen
of the chapel.

Gallery

Location of the gallery within the Palace (red)

The covered gallery was a hundred meters long. It linked the council hall to the chapel; a monumental porch in its middle was used as the main entrance. A room for legal hearing was located on the second floor. The king dispensed justice in this place, although affairs in which important people were involved were handled in the aula regia. When the king was away, this task fell on the count of the Palace. The building was also probably used as a garrison.[3]

Thermae

Location of the thermae (red)

The

Eginhard mentions a swimming pool that could accommodate one hundred swimmers at a time:[30]

[...] [Charlemagne] enjoyed the exhalations from natural warm springs, and often practised swimming, in which he was such an adept that none could surpass him; and hence it was that he built his palace at Aix-la-Chapelle, and lived there constantly during his latter years until his death. He used not only to invite his sons to his bath, but his nobles and friends, and now and then a troop of his retinue or body guard, so that a hundred or more persons sometimes bathed with him.[26]

Other buildings for other functions

The Codex aureus of Lorsch was made in one of Aachen's palace workshops around 810

The other buildings are not easy to identify because of the lack of detailed enough written accounts. Charlemagne's and his family's apartments seem to have been located in the north-eastern part of the palace complex; his room may have been on the second floor.

mint
that was still operational in the 13th century.

The palace also housed the literary activities of the Palace Academy. This circle of scholars did not gather in a definite building: Charlemagne liked to listen to poems while he was swimming and eating. The Palace school provided education to the ruler's children and the "nourished ones" (nutriti in Latin), aristocrat sons that were to serve the king.

Outside of the palace complex were also a

Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Ermoldus Nigellus
describes the place in his Poems on Louis the Pious (first half of the 9th century).

The place was frequented everyday by crowds of people: courtiers, scholars, aristocrats, merchants but also beggars and poor people that came to ask for

chamberman.[35]

Symbolic interpretation of the Palace

Roman legacy and Byzantine model

San Vitale Basilica in Ravenna was one of the prototypes for the Palatine Chapel.

The palace borrows several elements of Roman civilization. The Aula Palatina follows a basilical plan.

Basilicas in ancient times were public buildings where the city's affairs were discussed. The chapel follows models from ancient Rome: grids exhibit antique decorations (acanthus[36]) and columns are topped by Corinthian capitals. The Emperor was buried in the Palatine Chapel within a 2nd-century marble sarcophagus decorated with a depiction of the abduction of Proserpina.[18][37]
Scholars of Charlemagne's time nicknamed Aachen «the Second Rome».

Charlemagne wished to compete with another Emperor of his time: Basileus of Constantinople.[9] The cupola and mosaics of the chapel are Byzantine elements. The plan itself is inspired by the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, built by Justinian I in the 6th century. Other experts point to similarities with the Church of the Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Constantinople's Chrysotriklinos and the main throne room in the Great Palace of Constantinople. During religious offices, Charlemagne stood in the second floor gallery, as did the Emperor in Constantinople.[3]

Odo of Metz was also likely inspired by the 8th-century Lombard Palace of Pavia where the chapel was decorated with mosaics and paintings.[17] Although he may have travelled to Italy, it is unlikely that he visited Constantinople.

Frankish style

Although many references to Roman and Byzantine models are visible in Aachen's buildings,

Merovingian architecture by its large scale and the multiplicity of volumes.[38] The vaulting of the chapel illustrates an original Carolingian expertise,[39] especially in the ambulatory topped with a groin vault.[3]
Whereas Byzantine emperors sat in the east to watch offices, Charlemagne sat in the west. Lastly, wooden buildings and half-timbering techniques were typical of Northern Europe.

Charlemagne's palace was thus more than a copy of Classical and Byzantine models: it was rather a synthesis of various influences, as a reflection of the Carolingian Empire. Just like Carolingian Renaissance, the palace was a product of the assimilation of several cultures and legacies.

Imperial centralization and unity

The layout of the palatine complex perfectly implemented the alliance between two powers: the spiritual power was represented by the chapel in the South and the temporal power by the Council Hall in the North. Both of these were linked by the gallery. Since

synods
held in Aachen. By establishing the seat of the power and the court in Aachen, Charlemagne knew he would be able to more easily supervise those close to him. The palace was the heart of the capital city, gathering dignitaries from all over the Empire.

After Charlemagne

Model for other palaces

Inside Ottmarsheim's dome, Alsace

It is difficult to know whether other Carolingian palaces did imitate that of Aachen, as most of them have been destroyed. However, the constructions of Aachen were not the only ones undertaken under Charlemagne: 16

monasteries and 65 royal palaces were built between 768 and 814.[40]
The Palatine Chapel of Aachen seems to have been imitated by several other buildings of the same kind: The octagonal oratory of Germigny-des-Prés, built in the early 9th century for Theodulf of Orléans seems to have been directly related. The Collegiate church of Liège was built in the 10th century following the plan of the palatine chapel. Ottmarsheim church in Alsace also adopts a centered plan but was built later (11th century). The influence of Aachen's chapel is also found in Compiègne[41] and in other German religious buildings (such as the Abbey church of Essen).

Palace history after Charlemagne

Charlemagne was buried in the chapel in 814. His son and successor,

Councils were held in Aix in the early 9th century.[42] Those of 817 and 836 took place in the buildings adjacent to the chapel.[18] In 817, Louis the Pious had[clarification needed] his elder son Lothair
in the presence of the Frankish people.

Following the

Henry I the Fowler
(876–936).

Modern view of Aachen Cathedral.

Yet the memory of Charlemagne's Empire remained fresh and became a symbol of German power. In the 10th century,

Otto I (912–973) was crowned King of Germany in Aachen[43] (936). The three-part ceremony took place in several locations within the palace: first in the courtyard (election by the dukes), then in the chapel (handing of the insignia of the Kingdom), finally in the palace (banquet).[44] During the ceremony, Otto sat on Charlemagne's throne. Afterwards, and until the 16th century, all the German Emperors were crowned firstly in Aachen and then in Rome, which highlights the attachment to Charlemagne's political legacy. The Golden Bull of 1356
confirmed that coronations were to take place in the palatine chapel.

Richer of Reims
states the existence of a bronze eagle, the exact location of which is unknown:

[...] The bronze eagle, that Charlemagne had put on top of the palace in a flight attitude, has been turned back towards the East. The Germans had turned it towards the West to show that their cavalry could beat the French whenever they wanted [...].[45]

Aachen's City Hall is located on the site of the Council Hall

In 881, a

relics
were scattered across the empire. The treasure of Aachen began to grow with numerous gifts from French and German kings and princes.

Between 1355 and 1414, an

Napoleon I had considered for a time holding his Imperial Coronation in Aachen.[47] The chapel was restored in 1884. In 1978 the cathedral, including the chapel, was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b A. Erlande-Brandeburg, A.-B. Erlande-Brandeburg, Histoire de l’architecture française, 1999, p. 104
  2. ^ a b J. Favier, Charlemagne, 1999, p. 285
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h P. Riché, La vie quotidienne dans l’Empire Carolingian, p. 57
  4. ^ A. Erlande-Brandeburg, A.-B. Erlande-Brandeburg, Histoire de l’architecture française, 1999, p. 92
  5. ^ J. Favier, Charlemagne, 1999, p. 582
  6. ^ J. Favier, Charlemagne, 1999, p. 287
  7. ^ A. Erlande-Brandeburg, A.-B. Erlande-Brandeburg, Histoire de l’architecture française, 1999, pp. 92–93
  8. ^ a b c G. Démians d’Archimbaud, Histoire artistique de l’Occident médiéval, 1992, p. 76
  9. ^ a b P. Riché, Les Carolingiens. Une famille qui fit l’Europe, 1983, p. 326
  10. ^ M. Durliat, Des barbares à l’an Mil, 1985, p. 145
  11. ^ J. Favier, Charlemagne, 1999, p. 288
  12. ^ J. Favier, Charlemagne, 1999, p. 502
  13. ISBN 978-2729812317
    , p. 184
  14. ^ A Carolingian foot corresponds to 0,333 metres
  15. ^ a b c A. Erlande-Brandeburg, A.-B. Erlande-Brandeburg, Histoire de l’architecture française, 1999, p. 103
  16. ^ P. Riché, Les Carolingiens …, 1983, p. 325
  17. ^
    ISBN 2-200-26577-8
    , p. 120
  18. ^ a b c d e f P. Riché, La vie quotidienne dans l’Empire carolingien, p. 58
  19. ^ Ermold le Noir, Poème sur Louis le Pieux et épîtres au roi Pépin, édité et traduit par Edmond Faral, Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 1964, p. 53
  20. ^ P. Riché, Les Carolingiens. Une famille qui fit l’Europe, 1983, p. 131
  21. ^ A porch surrounded with two stair towers, la forerunner of Westworks
  22. ISBN 2-85229-971-2
    , p. 1888
  23. ^ J. Favier, Charlemagne, 1999, p. 505
  24. ^ G. Démians d’Archimbaud, Histoire artistique de l’Occident médiéval, 1992, p. 81
  25. ^ A. Erlande-Brandeburg, A.-B. Erlande-Brandeburg, Histoire de l’architecture française, 1999, p. 127
  26. ^ a b Source : Einhard: "The Life of Charlemagne", translated by Samuel Epes Turner (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1880). http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/einhard.html
  27. ^ Apocalypse, XXI, 17. Read online at Wikisource (French).
  28. ISBN 2-200-21883-4
    , p. 136
  29. ISBN 2-213-03180-0
    , p. 244
  30. ^ A. Erlande-Brandeburg, A.-B. Erlande-Brandeburg, Histoire de l’architecture française, 1999, p. 105
  31. ^ G. Démians d’Archimbaud, Histoire artistique de l’Occident médiéval, 1992, p. 78
  32. ^ existence is attested by Eginhard, Life of Charlemagne, traduction et édition de Louis Halphen, Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 1994, p. 99
  33. ^ J. Favier, Charlemagne, 1999, p. 513
  34. ISBN 2-213-03180-0
    , p. 243
  35. ISBN 2-913944-63-9
  36. ^ G. Démians d’Archimbaud, Histoire artistique de l’Occident médiéval, 1992, p. 80
  37. ^ J. Favier, Charlemagne, 1999, p. 592
  38. ISBN 2-253-13056-7
    , p. 287
  39. ISBN 2-85229-971-2
    , p. 1888
  40. ^ M. Durliat, Des barbares à l’an Mil, 1985, p. 148
  41. ^ P. Riché, La vie quotidienne dans l’Empire carolingien, p. 59
  42. ISBN 2-200-21883-4
    , p. 35
  43. ISBN 2-200-21883-4
    , p. 40
  44. ^ P. Riché, Les Carolingiens. Une famille qui fit l’Europe, 1983, p. 247
  45. ^ Richer, Histoire de France (888–995), tome 2, edition and translation by Robert Latouche, Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 1964, p. 89
  46. ^ J. Favier, Charlemagne, 1999, p. 590
  47. ^ J. Favier, Charlemagne, 1999, p. 691

References

External links

Media related to Palace of Aachen at Wikimedia Commons


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