Palatine Chapel, Aachen

Coordinates: 50°46′29″N 6°05′04″E / 50.7747°N 6.08444°E / 50.7747; 6.08444
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Palatine Chapel in Aachen
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Exterior view
Interior view

The Palatine Chapel in Aachen is an

early medieval chapel and remaining component of Charlemagne's Palace of Aachen in what is now Germany. Although the palace itself no longer exists, the chapel was preserved and now forms the central part of Aachen Cathedral. It is Aachen's major landmark and a central monument of the Carolingian Renaissance. The chapel held the remains of Charlemagne. Later it was appropriated by the Ottonians and coronations were held there from 936 to 1531.[1]

As part of Aachen Cathedral, the chapel is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[2]

History

Throne of Charlemagne in the palace chapel
Sunset view of the Palatine Chapel

Virgin Mary. The building is a centrally planned, domed chapel. The east end had a square apse, and was originally flanked by two basilican structures, now lost but known through archaeology. The chapel was entered through a monumental atrium, to the west. The plan and decoration of the building combines elements of Classical, Byzantine and Pre-Romanesque, and opulent materials as the expression of a new royal house, ruled by Charlemagne
.

The architect responsible, Odo of Metz, is named in a tenth-century inscription around the dome: Insignem hanc dignitatis aulam Karolus caesar magnus instituit; egregius Odo magister explevit, Metensi fotus in urbe quiescit. Nothing more is known of him. The building he designed has a simple exterior and a complex interior, with a double shell octagonal dome resting on heavy piers, a two-story elevation, and elaborate revetment[4] and decoration.

In 936

Otto III placed the tomb of Charlemagne in the chapel and paid homage to his remains.[5] The original tomb was probably a sepulchral niche, afterwards known as the "Karlsmemorie", but destroyed in 1788.[6]

Structure

Sunlit dome of the Palatine Chapel at noonday
Detail of barred window of Palatine Chapel (exterior view)
Floor plan of Aachen Cathedral with Charlemagne's palace chapel highlighted in the center

There is a sixteen-sided

Pope Hadrian I
and requested "mosaic, marbles, and other materials from floors and walls" in Rome and Ravenna, for his palace.

The construction, including

Pre-Romanesque, practices rather than the Byzantine techniques employed at San Vitale, and its plan simplifies the complex geometry of the Ravenna building. Multi-coloured marble veneer is used to create a sumptuous interior. The chapel makes use of ancient spolia, conceivably from Ravenna (Einhard claimed they were from Rome and Ravenna), as well as newly carved materials. The bronze decoration is of extraordinarily high quality, especially the doors with lions heads and the interior railings, with their Corinthian order columns and acanthus
scrolls.

The Aachen Royal complex (English subtitles)

The dome was decorated originally with a fresco, and later with mosaic. In the Baroque period, it was replaced by stucco. The original mosaic was reproduced in the 19th century with the same iconography as the original. It depicts the twenty-four elders of the Apocalypse bearing crowns and standing around the base of the dome. Above the main altar, and facing the royal throne, is an image of Christ in Majesty.[7] The upper gallery of the chapel was the royal space, with a special throne area for the king, then emperor, which let onto the liturgical space of the church and onto the atrium outside as well.

The inscription above the ground floor archer reads: "CUM LAPIDES VIVI PACIS CONPAGE LIGANTUR INQUE PARES NUMEROS OMNIA CONVENIENT CLARET OPUS DOMINI, TOTAM QUI CONSTRUIT AULAM EFFECTUSQUE PIIS DAT STUDIIS HOMINUM QUORUM PERFECTUI DECORIS STRUCTURA MANEBIT SI PERFECTA AUCTOR PROTEGAT ATQUE REGAT SIC DEUS HOC TUTUM STABILI FUNDAMINE TEMPLUM QUOD PRINCEPS CAROLUS CONDIDIT ESSE VELIT".[8]

The main entrance is dominated by a

vestibule, rooms at one or more levels above, and one or more towers. These overlook the atrium of the church. The addition of a westwork to churches is one of the Carolingian contributions to Western architectural traditions
.

The bronze doors symbolize the Carolingian Renaissance in metalwork, on a scale not seen since the Roman Empire.[9]

Gallery

  • seating arrangements on individual oak chairs
    seating arrangements on individual oak chairs
  • view up the nave
    view up the nave
  • detail of marble-clad pillar
    detail of marble-clad pillar
  • detail of inlaid floor
    detail of inlaid floor
  • lights and details of chapiter
    lights and details of chapiter
  • lectern bookrest in the form of an eagle
    lectern bookrest in the form of an eagle
  • side view of lectern eagle
    side view of lectern eagle
  • front 3/4 view of lectern eagle
    front 3/4 view of lectern eagle
  • choirmaster badalone in form of eagle
    choirmaster badalone in form of eagle
  • bronze-clad central doors
    bronze-clad central doors
  • bronze-clad crypt door
    bronze-clad crypt door
  • marble-clad column
    marble-clad column
  • World War II memorial plaque
    World War II memorial plaque
  • Pipe organ
    Pipe organ
  • Marble wall
    Marble wall
  • metalwork grate
    metalwork grate
  • main altar
    main altar
  • architectural detail of bell in tower
    architectural detail of bell in tower
  • Wheel chandelier attributed to Frederick Barbarossa, night view from above
    Wheel chandelier attributed to Frederick Barbarossa, night view from above
  • Wheel chandelier, daylight from below
    Wheel chandelier, daylight from below
  • artistic drawing of wheel chandelier
    artistic drawing of wheel chandelier

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Jeep 2001, p. 1
  2. ^ UNESCO 1992
  3. ^ Conant 1994, p. 47
  4. ^ Gould 2013
  5. ^ Garrison 2012, pp. 62–63
  6. ^ Bayer 2014
  7. ^ McClendon 2005[page needed]
  8. OCLC 160076176.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  9. ^ The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture. Edited by: Colum P. Hourihane. "Carolingian metalwork" OUP 2013

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palatine Chapel in Aachen.

50°46′29″N 6°05′04″E / 50.7747°N 6.08444°E / 50.7747; 6.08444

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