We crossed the German border to Cologne, the largest city in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on both sides of the Rhine River and is a major cultural centre of Rhineland.
We went there to visit the famous Cologne Cathedral, the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. It is said to be Germany’s most visited landmark. The cathedral is the oldest Gothic church in Northern Europe, has the second tallest spires, and the largest façade of any church in the world.
I was excited to see this cathedral for it was featured in the opening chapter of one of the adventure novels I had just finished reading that time, The Map of Bones, by James Rollins (who writes in the style of Dan Brown, but is way better at staging suspense, developing characters, and composing dialogue). In the beginning of the book, hooded men invade Midnight Mass at the Cologne Cathedral, slaughter almost everyone present, then break open a gold sarcophagus and steal the bones of the Three Wise Men.
Indeed, the relics of the Three Magi, brought to this city in 1164, are enshrined in this cathedral in a 13th century gilded sarcophagus placed above and behind the high altar. It is considered the largest reliquary in the Western world. In 1199, King Otto gave three golden crowns to the church of Cologne for the three wise men, which is probably why Cologne’s Coat of Arms incorporated three golden crowns in its design. It was said that when the shrine was opened in 1864, the remains of the three kings, along with the coins of Philip I, Archbishop of Cologne, were found intact.
According to tradition, their names are Caspar (or Jaspar or Gaspar) from the region of India, Balthasar (or Balthazar) from the region of Babylon/Arabia, and Melchior from the region of Persia. After adoring the Christ Child and returning to their countries as described in the Sacred Scripture, the Three Kings later met and were baptized by Saint Thomas the Apostle during his evangelistic labors in the East, and also consecrated by him as priests and bishops in service of the King of Kings.
The church also contains other treasures, such as the high altar made of black marble with a 15-foot-long solid slab forming the top. The front and sides are overlaid with white marble niches into which are set figures with the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the centre.
Near the sacristy is the Gero-Kreutz, a large crucifix carved in oak with traces of paint and gilding. It is the oldest large crucifix north of the Alps and the earliest known free-standing Northern sculpture in the medieval period. Embedded in one of the interior walls are a pair of tablets on which are carved the provisions worked out by Archbishop Englebert II under which Jews were permitted to reside in Cologne.
Other notable works of art inside the cathedral include The Patron Saints of Köln, painted in 1442 by Stefan Lochner; the Madonna of Milan, a beautiful wooden sculpture crafted in the late 13th century; and the Jeweled Madonna, an early Baroque status of Mother and Child dressed in white silk and covered with jewels. Also noteworthy are the large stained-glass windows that allow floods of natural light to enter the building. It was like visiting a museum!
Inside the cathedral, 12 archbishops from 976 to 1612 AD are interred in marble tombs with effigies. We had the chance to go up the tower, where one could look at the cathedral's famous bells (the most popular is a short and fat bell nicknamed, Dicke Pette or "Fat Pete" rung only on special occasions) and view the entire city. But with 509 steep steps, preggy me decided not to do it. After visiting the souvenir shop, we headed outside.
It was only when we were back under the sunlight that I noticed a sharp contrast between the exterior and the interior of the cathedral. From the outside, it appeared dark and looming (but actually bright and peaceful inside as we had seen). From some angles, the church façade even appeared blackish and dirty. Our Tour Director explained that this was because the church was constructed using black stone which easily stains when it rains (especially polluted rain containing sulphuric acid). But I think it is part of its Gothic charm, really.
The gloomy look outside was brightened by the presence of many street artists and performers at the church plaza. Artists were drawing all kinds of interesting images on the pavement with their colourful chalk. People in costumes were available for picture-taking for a few coins. I posed with two ladies dressed as angels with their faces and bodies covered with white paint. Afterwards, we watched a talented chalk artist complete a very realistic picture of a unicorn in less than five minutes.
Food vendors also hawked their snacks and bakeries lined up the street not far from the cathedral. We bought fresh German bread and a couple of pastries from a bakery right across the parking lot where our bus was stationed. We could tell that the FIFA World Cup was the current craze in Europe for almost half of the pastry section was laden with cakes, cupcakes, donuts, and cookies decorated with soccer balls and German flags. It was funny that the previous day, we were celebrating a FIFA victory with the Dutch people in Amsterdam, and that day, we were munching on sweets designed to wish the German team good luck.
Photo Credits:
propertylistings.ft.com, tripsavvy.com, designingbuildings.com.uk, arrivalguides.com, catholiccompany.com
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