strasbourg cathedral facts strasbourg cathedral facts

This artifact was later kept in the historical collections of the city until they were all destroyed during the Siege of Strasbourg in a massive fire in August 1870. Construction History of the Strasbourg Cathedral in Alsace. Drawing A, circa 1260. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Cathedral Strasbourg France Church Vintage Antique Photo 1910's 1920's 1930's at the best online prices at eBay! A large arched bay occupies the central portion, just below a balustrade. This project was completed in 1926, after the end of the war. Archaeological excavations below and around the cathedral have been conducted in 1896-1897, 1907, 1923-1924, 1947-1948, between 1966 and 1972, and finally between 2012 and 2014.. In addition to the grand organ in nave, the cathedral has two smaller organs: The baptismal font by Jost Dotzinger (1453), Judgement of Solomon window in north transept (late 12th c.), Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist (3rd quarter of 12th century), left window of north transept, The transept and the apse were built atop the Romanesque crypt, making them a little higher than the nave; they are reached by a short stairway, giving the impression that the choir and apse are the stage of a theater. The choir and the north transept of the cathedral were completed in a Romanesque style starting in 1176, and it wasnt until the year 1225 that the switch was made to the Gothic style. [61], Lower portion of octagonal tower and spire, The octagonal tower and spire (remote view), The cathedral was originally intended to have two towers on the west front, but only the north one was built. The supporting buttresses on either side also have very expressive sculpture representing the Virgin Mary and the three Magi on one side, and a group of Saints on the other, both sheltered beneath lacelike flamboyant sculpture and pinnacles. Choir pipe organ, north side of the choir, Height of observation deck: 66m (217ft), Exterior height of central nave: 40m (130ft), Inside height of central nave: 32m (105ft), Inside width of central nave: 16m (52ft), Inside height of lateral naves: 19m (62ft), Exterior width of west faade: 51.5m (169ft), Diameter of west faade rose window: 13.6m (45ft). The north tower was the world's tallest building from 1647 (when the taller spire of St. Mary's Church, Stralsund burnt down) until 1874 (when the tower of St. Nikolai's Church in Hamburg was completed). The chapel is devoted to memorials to six canons who were entombed there between 1478 and 1681. The reddish-brown sandstone from the Vosges mountains gives the cathedral its distinctive colour.[8]. They were eventually returned and installed, along with numerous other works of art, by the specially created Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section of the United States military. [38], Seven church bells were removed and melted down to made into cannon, and gold and other precious objects in the interior confiscated and taken away, and in November 1793 the cathedral was formally proclaimed a "Temple of Reason. History. It is reached by a stairway with a curling sculpted design called "butterfly wings". Other objects and works from the cathedral, including the mechanism of the original astronomical clock, are found in the Muse des arts dcoratifs de Strasbourg. [80], The north transept connects with the Chapel of Saint John, entered through a pointed Gothic arch containing a rounded Romanesque arch. With its elaborate astrological clock and red sandstone surface, a visit to the Cathedral is a must. Another remarkable feature inside the church is the Strasbourg astronomical clock. Its the third clock on this location and was installed in the year 1843, with previous clocks dating back to the 14th and 16th centuries. A trick saved the cathedrals spire during the French Revolution, 13. Notre Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral. After the war, it was returned to the cathedral by the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section of the United States military.[47]. The design called for a west front taller and wider than the nave behind it. Work on the church was frequently interrupted by wars and political crises. The central art work of the North Transept is a large statue of Christ on the cross, over a sculptural landscape depicting the Mount of Olives, crowded with carved figures in dramatic poses. Construction of the original, on the exact site of a Roman temple, was initiated in 1015 but later destroyed by a fire. The belltower is 142 m high. One of the coolest facts about Strasbourg Cathedral is that you can get the best view of all on top of the cathedral itself! This embroidered cloth has a length of about 70 meters (230 feet) and a height of 50 centimeters (20 inches). The original construction of the church on its current location started in the year 1015. They were commissioned by Cardinal Richelieu for the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, and were made to accompany a painting there, "The Vow of Louis XIII". . The walls of the tower have tall lancet openings, which show the bells and bring light into the interior, and are decorated on the exterior with interlocking pointed gables. The pointed gable over the central portal, decorated with a sculpture of the Virgin Mary and child, reaches up into the space in front of the rose window. It is in a Neo-Byzantine style, with Christ in a red frame in the center. Strasbourg Cathedral (1015-1439) is an absolute masterpiece of Gothic art. It weighs 7.5 tons and 2.2 meters in diameter, and was cast in 1447 by Hans Gremp. Strasbourg is, indeed, in France. The cathedral was built in Gothic style. Strasbourg Cathedral is over one thousand years old. It was built next to Strasbourg Cathedral in the 1730s, from designs by Robert de Cotte . In 1524, the city council assigned the cathedral to the Protestant faith, while the building suffered some damage from iconoclastic assaults. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg is the landmark of the city and known in the whole world. It dates to the end of the 15th century. The faade is supported and divided vertically by four narrow buttresses, each decorated with sculpture. Only the names remain carved on the walls. Above this level is a celestial globe in a sky of painted stars which makes a complete revolution every 23 hours, fifty-six minutes and four seconds. [41][42], During World War II, the cathedral was seen as a symbol for both warring parties. In October 1988, when the city celebrated its 2,000th anniversary (as the first official mention of Argentoratum dates from 12 BC), pope John Paul II visited and celebrated mass in the cathedral. It measures 142 m (466 ft) and remained the tallest building in the world until 1847. [18], The next major step was the reconstruction of the nave into the Gothic style, which took place between 1240 and 1274. Further modifications were made to the crypts in the 12th century. One of the most incredible facts about Strasbourg Cathedral is that its spire was saved because the citizens of Strasbourg dressed the spire of the church with a huge tin Phrygian cap, the exact type of cap worn by the Enrags at the time. Construction finished in 1439 with the erection of the emblematic North tower. They feature a Tree of Jesse (The Genealogy of Christ) and the judgement of Solomon (right window) and the Virgin Mary with John the Baptist and John the Evangelist) as well as King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba and King David on the left. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque architecture, it is widely considered At 142 metres , Strasbourg Cathedral was the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874 , when it was surpassed by St. Nikolai's Church, Hamburg. One of the most remarkable facts about Strasbourg Cathedral is that even though its considered to be the epitome of a church in the Gothic architectural style, the first phase consisted of Romanesque buildings. The ornate and colourful decoration of pinnacle, spires, and sculpture Sculpture also hangs beneath the organ, including a moving figure of Samson opening the jaws of a lion. The cathedral is open from October to March from 10 a.m.. Today, about 275,000 people live there (with around 780,000 in the metropolitan area ). This is, however, nothing compared to the height of the spire, which reaches a total height of 142 meters (466 feet) above the ground. [40], In 1903, the architect Johann Knauth discovered cracks on the first pillar of the northern side of the nave. On the east wall, the windows depict Christ in Majesty, Saint Lawrence, a Virgin and Child, and John the Baptist. The clock shows much more than the official time; it also indicates solar time, the day of the week (each represented by a god of mythology), the month, the year, the sign of the zodiac, the phase of the moon and the position of several planets. All these automata are put into operation daily at 12:30 pm except Sundays. The cathedral can be seen from over 30 kilometers (20 miles) away from all sides on a clear day. What makes this monument extraordinarily impressive are the steeple with . Take a moment to yourself in the cathedral; sit in a pew and enjoy the peace. Three high-spots make the visit unforgettable. The next major step toward Gothic took place with the raising of the vaults of the south transept, creating thinner walls and more space for high windows. These include an old bell made by Jean Rosier and Cesar Bonbon (1691). Take the time to marvel at the magnificent, amazing statuary inside and outside of this masterpiece of Gothic architecture. [25] The three men completed the bell tower over the central part of the faade, in a design that moved away from Gerlach von Steinbach's initial idea of a central tower and whose precise authorship is unknown. Other scenes are painted onto the reverse of the bas-reliefs. After the annexation of the city by Louis XIV of France, on 30 September 1681, and a mass celebrated in the cathedral on 23 October 1681 in presence of the king and prince-bishop Franz Egon of Frstenberg,[33] the cathedral was returned to the Catholics and its inside redesigned according to the Catholic liturgy of the Counter-Reformation. The cathedral has an observation deck that offers stunning views, French Revolution in the late 18th century, The Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals Top 8 Facts, The Caf-Concert by douard Manet Top 8 Facts, Top 10 Famous Paintings at the Frans Hals Museum, 8 Historic Facts about the Szchenyi Chain Bridge. The tracery and decoration of the interior are very much like of that exterior, with blind galleries and delicate parallel vertical lines, like the strings of a harp. The first astronomical clock was installed in the cathedral from 135254 until 1500. On the south side of the nave, the upper walls have windows depicting female saints, including local saints from Alsace or Strasbourg. These are the best places for couples seeking sights & landmarks in Strasbourg: Cathedrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg; La Petite France; glise Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune; Barrage Vauban; Centre-ville de Strasbourg; See more sights & landmarks for couples in Strasbourg on Tripadvisor 1. Figures of two reclining women hold a cadran (clock face) between them which tells the minutes. The genuinely Romanesque chevet can only be seen from the courtyard of the adjacent complex of 18th-century buildings. [60], As with all the other portals, several of the statues have been replaced by copies in situ and are today displayed in the Muse de l'uvre Notre-Dame. pictures from Axis Mundi Design. "It is our history," French president Emmanuel Macron said after the fire. The four bells in the octagon tower are rung on the hour. He in 1284 and developed a western facade, with a thousand sculptures and an elegant rosette window. He reconstructed the dome over the transept in a grander, Romanesque Revival style. Media in category "Strasbourg Cathedral organ" The following 102 files are in this category, out of 102 total. [84], The stained glass window in the axis of the apse depicts the Virgin of Alscace. The cathedral is illuminated by one of the most remarkable collections of stained-glassed windows in the world. The guard's house, located in the spot planned for the second spire, reflects a rich history going back to the 16th century. Back in the day that Strasbourg was referred to as Argentoratum by the Ancient Romans, the site was already occupied by a Roman sanctuary. Until today, the church remains the 6th-tallest church in the world and is the most prominent landmark in Strasbourg. [62][63][64][65][66], The eight-sided tower is three times higher than wide, more elongated than other Gothic towers of the 14th century. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. While previous faades were certainly drawn prior to construction, Strasbourg has one of the earliest faades whose construction is inconceivable without prior drawing. Homepage Strasbourg. Other moving figures include a trumpet player carrying a banner and a pretzel vendor being offered flour, water, and salt by the caryatides on the console. The construction, and later maintenance, of the cathedral is supervised by the Fondation de l'uvre Notre-Dame ("Foundation of Our Lady") since at least 1224. Each pillar bundles sixteen smaller columns, of which five reach upward to support the vaults overhead. The planned south tower was never built and as a result, with its characteristic asymmetrical form, the cathedral is now the premier landmark of Alsace. Its therefore considered to be one of the 4 capitals of Europe along with Brussels, Luxembourg City, and Frankfurt. This is crowned by the cross, which is surrounded by four smaller crosses and images of the host and chalice, elements of the liturgy of the Eucharist. At noon, a group of three mechanical kings would prostrate themselves before the infant Jesus, while the chimes of the clock sounded the hour. [10], The history of Strasbourg's cathedral is well documented thanks to the archives of the Notre-Dame Foundation, the city of Strasbourg, and of the diocese. It replaces the original window which was one of the few windows not put into safe storage before World War II; it was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944. It is the least decorated side of the cathedral. The construction of the Strasbourg Cathedral, we know today, thereafter started and it took quite a bit of time to finish. [80], The north transept also contains the two baptismal fonts, one circular and one octagonal, in their own architectural settings, They were made by Jost Dotzinger in 1453. [52], The west front takes its distinctive appearance and sense of verticality from the dense network of lacelike pointed gables, pinnacles and tall, slender columns that cover it. The elevation has the traditional High Gothic or Rayonnant Gothic three levels; large arcades below, with windows on the collateral aisles; a narrow triforium, or gallery, also with windows, for passing along the walls; and above that, of equal height with the arcades the upper windows which reach up into the vaults. Built of red Vosges sandstone, it is a harmonious edifice despite the variety of its architectural styles. Archaeological excavations below and around the cathedral have been conducted in 18961897,[11] 1907,[12] 19231924,[13] 19471948,[14] between 1966 and 1972,[15] and finally between 2012 and 2014. 1. They were manufactured between 1638 and 1657 in Paris by Pierre Damour. Strasbourg's 11th-15th-century Cathedral of Notre-Dame, damaged in 1870 and again in World War II, has been carefully restored. An additional element of decoration is given by the small sculpted, painted, and gilded heads on the keystones of the vaults, where the ribs meet. Built of red Vosges sandstone, it is a harmonious edifice despite the variety of its architectural styles. Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (French: Cathdrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, or Cathdrale de Strasbourg, German: Liebfrauenmnster zu Straburg or Straburger Mnster), also known as Strasbourg Minster, is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Architect Jakob von Landshut and sculptor Hans von Aachen rebuilt the portal of the northern portal, now referred to as the Saint-Lawrence portal or Portail Saint-Laurent, starting in 1505, which was the height of the Renaissance period. The Silbermann organ had three keyboards, thirty-nine jeux, or effects and two thousand, two hundred forty-two pipes. Theres a statue of the main architect next to the cathedral, 8. The Cathedral stands on the exact site of a roman temple built on a little hill above the muddy ground. A little history about Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Strasbourg's cathedral is an emblematic monument of the city, built on a site that was occupied by an important Roman camp when the city was called Argentoratum, and which has hosted many places of worship over the centuries. Only those Christian denominations that have bishops have cathedrals. It is easily recognizable by its pink sandstone faade and its unique tower. Under the balustrade is a large painting on wood illustrating the Nativity, in a sweeping landscape. An even older bell, by Jean Jacques-Miller (1595), repeats the sounding of the hours one minute later.