Palatine Chapel, Aachen

Palatine Chapel, Aachen
Coordinates: 50.7747N 6.08444E
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Palatine Chapel is an early medieval chapel that is a 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 the city'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 their 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]
Contents
Exterior view
1 History
2 Structure
3 See also
4 Footnotes
5 References
6 External links
History
Interior view
Charlemagne began the construction of the Palatine Chapel around 792,

along with the building of the rest of the palace structures.[3] It was
consecrated in 805 by Pope Leo III in honor of the 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.
Throne of Charlemagne in
the palace chapel.
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 I, the first Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, took advantage of the chapel's close
association with Charlemagne and held his coronation as King of Germany there. Ottonian rulers continued
to be crowned in the Palatine Chapel until 1531.[1] In 1000, in what was most likely a symbolic exhibition,
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
There is a sixteen-sided ambulatory with a gallery overhead
encircling the central octagonal dome. The plan and decoration owe
much to the sixth-century Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna. Indeed,
Charlemagne visited Ravenna three times, the first in 787. In that
year he wrote to Pope Hadrian I and requested "mosaic, marbles, and
other materials from floors and walls" in Rome and Ravenna, for his
palace.
Floor plan of Aachen Cathedral with
Charlemagne's palace chapel
highlighted in the center
The construction, including barrel and groin vaults and an octagonal

cloister-vault in the dome, reflects late Roman, or 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 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 main entrance is dominated by a westwork comprising the western facade including the entrance
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.
See also
Aachen penny of Charlemagne
Carolingian architecture
Palace of Aachen
History of Medieval Arabic and Western European domes
Footnotes
1. Jeep 2001, p. 1
2. UNESCO 1992
3. Conant 1994, p. 47
4.
5.
6.
7.
Gould 2013
Garrison 2012, pp. 6263
Bayer 2014
McClendon 2005
References
Bayer, Clemens M. M. (2014). "Das Grab Karls des Grossen". In Pohle, Frank. Karl der Grosse: Orte
der Macht: Essays. Dresden: Sandstein Verlag. pp. 38291. ISBN 978-3-95498-092-5. (German)
Conant, Kenneth J. (1994) [1959]. Carolingian and Romanesque Architecture (4th ed.). New Haven,
CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-3000-5298-7. LCCN 78149801.
Garrison, Eliza (2012). Ottonian Imperial Art and Portraiture: The Artistic Patronage of Otto III and
Henry II. Farnham, UK: Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-6968-5. LCCN 2011013779.
Gould, Andrew (8 January 2013). "Marble Revetments". Orthodox Arts Journal. Retrieved 15 May
2015.
Jeep, John M., ed. (2001). Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Garland Pub.
ISBN 978-0-8240-7644-3. LCCN 00061780.
McClendon, Charles B. (2005). The Origins of Medieval Architecture: Building in Europe: A.D 600900. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. pp. 108119. ISBN 0-3001-0688-2. LCCN 2004023967.
UNESCO (1992). "Aachen Cathedral". UNESCO. World Heritage List. Archived from the original on
15 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
External links
Official Website (http://www.aachenerdom.de) of Aachen
Cathedral (German)
Aachen Cathedral (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germa
ny/aachen-cathedral), in Sacred Destinations (online travel
guide)
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Categories: 805 9th-century churches Chapels in Germany Buildings and structures in Aachen
Carolingian architecture Octagonal churches Aachen
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Coordinates: 50.7747N 6.08444E

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Palatine Chapel is an early medieval chapel that is a remaining

Charlemagne began the construction of the Palatine Chapel around 792,

The architect responsible, Odo of Metz, is named in a tenth-century

The construction, including barrel and groin vaults and an octagonal

Wikimedia Commons has

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Palatine_Chapel,_Aachen&oldid=713222221"

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