Emperor s Hall and Observation Platform

Transcription

1 Emperor s Hall and Observation Platform

2 Insights and Outlooks The westwork of the Cathedral of Speyer is a bridge between the church and the world. It invites the visitor to enter the church s interior and to get to know something of the church s ministry in the world. Since the middle ages, when the cathedral was built, this part of the building stands for the warding off of evil, as it was the West (the side of sundown) which was associated with the forces of evil and with death. Today, this symbolism is complemented with another interpretation: in the westwork, and the emperor s hall, the cathedral opens itself up towards the world, to the city, and to humankind. The western part of the cathedral is also a bridge between time periods. It illustrates the past, present, and future of one of the world s most important houses of God. A westwork, with a narthex, a room above it, and two western towers, has been documented for the cathedral as early as during the middle ages. This part of the church building was redesigned on several occasions, the last of which taking place in the 19th century. In the present day, the architecture has been restored and secured via modern technology. The emperor s hall was completely redesigned, creating a pictorial space in contemporary form language. Frescoes in the Emperor s Hall After its thorough redesign, the emperor s hall was opened up to the wider public for the first time in October of It houses a permanent exhibition of monumental frescoes by the painter Johann Baptist Schraudolph. The pictorial stories about the life and ministry of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the protomartyr Saint Stephen, and Pope Stephen I, tell of the salvation brought into the world by God. The observation platform on the south tower is at an altitude of about 200 feet. From there, the visitor is offered a unique panorama of the town of Speyer, of the Anterior Palatinate, and of neighbouring Baden. On clear days, one can see more than 30 miles into the distance, the view ranging from the Palatinate Forest in the West up to the Forest of Odes and the Black Forest in the East. From the forecourt of the cathedral, the Maximiliansstraße, the pedestrian precinct in the centre of Speyer, stretches in a slightly curved line all the way to the medieval city gate named Altpörtel. View of the Spire

3 The Westwork In its thousand-year history, the cathedral of Speyer has known many changes. The westwork, which houses the emperor s hall, was redesigned several times after its completion in the 11th century. This became particularly necessary after the cathedral s devastation in 1689, during the War of Palatinate Succession. When the Palatinate fell to Bavaria after the Congress of Vienna, King Max I decreed that the cathedral be restored as an episcopal church. In the mid-19th century, his successor Louis I of Bavaria built the western transept, with its two neo-romanesque front towers. The plans for this enterprise were drawn up by the Karlsruhe-based builder Heinrich Hübsch. Albumen Paper Copy: The Construction of the Westwork The Painting of the Cathedral As early as in 1843, Louis I decided to have the cathedral painted in the Nazarene style. The commission went to the Munich-based artist Johann Baptist Schraudolph. He created large-sized frescoes with scenes from the life of the Blessed Mother Mary, and two smaller image sequences with representations of the lives of several saints. The painter Joseph Anton Schwarzmann furnished the vaults, arches, and surfaces with ornamental paintings. Devout Naïveté, Sublime Art The ideas for the motifs and the artistic design of Schraudolph s frescoes stem from the 19th century. Their meaning and their quality, however, are timeless. The images that can be seen in the emperor s hall today were originally installed on different walls of the cathedral. In the course of the great restoration of the cathedral in the mid- 20th century, they were removed from there. Only the frescoes from the Mary Cycle remained in the nave, where they can still be observed today. The successful conservation and restoration of several frescoes were the basic condition for their being shown again now. The newly redesigned emperor s hall proved to be a suitably modern showcase for them. The saints represented in the frescoes each have a huge significance for the Cathedral of Speyer: The Blessed Mother Mary and the protomartyr Stephen are the cathedral s Original Painting patron saints. Bernard of Clairvaux preached in the cathedral and worked several miracles during his stay in the city. Pope Stephen I has been worshipped in the cathedral ever since Emperor Henry III enhanced the cathedral treasure by a head reliquary of the pope. It can be seen today in St. Catherine s Chapel.

4 The Iconographic Program of Schraudolph s Frescoes These pictures announce God s work to bring about the salvation of humankind and the world; they visualise the fundament of faith. ( ) These pictures are also works of art and must be viewed through the lens of art history, but only also. Deeply, and intrinsically, they are works of Annunciation through and through. As the cathedral itself. Klaus Haarlammert from: Devout Naïveté, Sublime Art? The Speyer Cathedral Frescoes by Johann Baptist Schraudolph / Pilgerverlag, 2012 Two of the exhibited frescoes show Pope Stephen I. A dramatic pictorial structure tells of his preaching of the gospel in a heathen temple. The good news overcomes heathenism so thoroughly that the statue of the heathen deity is destroyed, the temple collapses, and the soldiers called in for protection flee in terror. One soldier finds his faith and bows down to pray. The other fresco dedicated to Pope Stephen I shows his death by decapitation. Two further wall paintings show scenes from the life of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr and patron saint of the Prayer of Pope Stephen I Cathedral of Speyer. In one, it is shown how he is anointed deacon together with six other men from Jerusalem s primitive Christian community. In a second fresco, the holy protomartyr announces his message in front of the Jewish High Council, which cannot evade the effect of his words. One council member deems his teachings to be blasphemous and thus puts his hands over his ears. The representations of St. Bernard of Clairvaux show him during his historically verified visit in Speyer during christmas of The pictorial themes include his arrival in front of the cathedral and his meeting with Conrad III, the adoration of the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary in the cathedral, his summons to the crusade, and finally his healing of a lame child and departure from Speyer. All these scenes exemplify the struggle of faith against unbelief as well as the unifying and salvific message of Christianity. Healing of the Boy (Excerpt)

5 Above all, the Coronation of the Virgin Mary hangs resplendent: a fresco that was originally installed in the apse calotte of the cathedral and which renders homage to the first and most consummate believer. This work of art received its own dome construction, which is modeled on the apse s arch. Coronation of Mary in the Emperor s Hall Locations of the Frescoes in the Cathedral Emperor s Hall in the upper floor over the nartex Mary Cycle in the nave of the cathedral

6 The Emperor s Hall St. Stephen is Ordained Deacon An Overview of the Frescoes St. Stephen in Front of the High Council Prayer of Pope Stephen I Eastern View Death of Pope Stephen I Arrival of St. Bernard in Speyer Northern View Southern View Prayer of St. Bernard in Front of the Miraculous Image St. Bernard Hands Over the Banner of the Cross Western View Healing of a Boy and Departure of St. Bernard Coronation of Mary in Heaven

7 On the Horizon: the Palatinate Forest Memorial Church Kirrweiler former summer residence of Speyer s prince-archbishops St. Joseph s Tourist Information Kalmit at 2200 ft, the highest elevation of the Palatinate Forest Altpörtel Medieval Town Gate Alte Münz formerly a mint, later a department store St. Louis s St. George s Tower Church of the Trinity

8 On the Horizon: the Forest of the Odes From up above, the cathedral s cruciform layout can be seen clearly. Hockenheim Rhine Old Harbour New Harbour Cathedral Garden East Towers Crossing Tower Dwarf Gallery

9 Speyer Museum of Technology Bruchsal former residential town of Speyer s prince-archbishops See of the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate Atomic Plant Philippsburg Historical Museum of the Palatinate On the Horizon: the Black Forest Administrative Building Historical Museum of the Palatinate Hof zum großen Senfgarten Administrative Building Episcopal Ordinariate Hof zum großen Birnbaum

10 Historic Town Ludwigshafen Monastery St. Magdalene s residence of St. Edith Stein Mannheim Rhine

11 Visitor Information Dom zu Speyer, Domplatz, Speyer Opening Times Cathedral: Open on weekdays, from November to March, from 9am to 5pm, on weekdays in April from 9am to 7pm, on Sundays the whole year through from 12pm to 5pm. Emperor s Hall and Observation Platform: Open on weekdays, from April to October, from 9am to 7pm, on weekdays in November from 9am to 5pm, on Sundays from April to November from 12pm to 5pm, last admission is one hour before closing time. During the services, cathedral and emperor s hall are closed to visitor, likewise in case of special events. Guided Tours through the Cathedral and/or the Emperor s Hall Telephone (Office Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 12pm, as well as Monday and Thursday, 2pm to 4pm) Fax domfuehrungen@bistum-speyer.de The Catalog of the Exhibition: Devout Naïveté, Sublime Art? The Speyer Cathedral Frescoes by Johann Baptist Schraudolph ed. Diocesan Chapter Speyer Picture Book Hardcover Bound Thread Stitching Four- Colour pgs. 150 Images Pilgerverlag GmbH ISBN ,80 Imprint: Cathedral Chapter Speyer (ed.). Images: Cathedral Chapter Speyer (Title, pp ) / Johann Karl Koch Historisches Museum der Pfalz (p. 4) / Dr. Franz Pelgen, Niederolm (p. 5) / Klaus Landry (pp. 2, 3, 8) / Diocese Speyer, Photograph: Peter Wilkening (pp. 6, 7) Overall Production: Pilgerverlag GmbH, Annweiler The realisation of the Schraudolph Exhibition in the Emperor s Hall and the Installation of the Observation Platform on the Southwest Tower of the Cathedral of Speyer was financially supported by: