Full description. Its considered to be the epitome of French Gothic architecture, 5. After the war, it was returned to the cathedral by the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section of the United States military.[47]. The church marked a historic moment in architecture, 11. These windows consist of 5 sets and depict 19 Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Since it was built, the platform has been a popular tourist attraction, and, until recently, a strategic fire lookout. .The lower part of the massive base of the clock has statues of Apollo and the Goddess Diana presenting a circular calendar of the liturgical year, whose revolving face with a globe points to the dates of major religious festivals and events. The cathedral is known for its ornate architecture and is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in Europe. In 1956, the Council of Europe donated the famous choir window by Max Ingrand, the "Strasbourg Madonna" (see also Flag of Europe Biblical interpretation). The small circular windows above the Emperors depict scenes from the life of Christ.[73]. One of the most fascinating churches in the world can be found in the east of France. This magnificent cathedral is located in the city of Strasbourg in the eastern part of the country. [86], Original wimperg of the faade in the Muse de l'uvre Notre-Dame, Original statues of the Tempter, the foolish Virgins and the wise Virgins from the right faade portal, Bust (ca. 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. All the parts of the clock together are 18m (59ft) high. One of the oldest surviving architectural drawings of the cathedral. Outside, the facade is the greatest "book" of images the Middle Ages has to offer. [56], The mid-level of the transept over the portal, built in about 1230, has lancet windows and a statue of Virgin, flanked by Saint Peter and Saint Lawrence. The columns are purely decorative, and are so thin they are compared to the strings of a harp. The pulpit itself, in the form of a very ornate corbeille or basket, is entirely covered with colonettes, gables, pinnacles, and niches filled with sculpture, including images of Christ on the cross, a crowned Virgin Mary, Apostles, the Crucifixion, and well as Kings and doctors of the Church. [17], The first cathedral built on the present site was erected by the bishop Saint Arbogast in about 550575. [45] During that same war, the stained glass was removed in 74 cases. 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. [30], Notre Dame of Strasbourg turned into a Temple of Reason during the French Revolution, Strasbourg cathedral in 1837 with an optical telegraph, Strasbourg and the cathedral in 1869 (photo by Charles David Winter[fr]), Following the outbreak of the French Revolution, on 2 November 1789, all church property was seized by the French state and was soon vandalised by the most ardent revolutionaries, the Enrags. The architects of the rebuilding began to include Gothic elements, following the style that had appeared in northern France in the 12th century, while still preserving the existing Romanesque features. Above this is a colourful clock with the signs of the zodiac. It is the third clock on that spot and dates from th. [49], In 2000, an Al-Qaeda plot to bomb the adjacent Christmas market was prevented by French and German police. [68] Its base is topped by a gallery with pointed arches, beneath a level with large arched bays, two on each side, side, divided by clusters of columns. On a clear day, it can be seen all the way from the Vosges Mountains, a mountain range over 30 kilometers to the southeast of the city, and the Black Forest, a famous forest an equal distance to the east! Emperior Charles V visits the cathedral in 1552. 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. As with the other portals of the cathedral, most of the statues now to be seen in situ are copies, the originals having been moved to the Muse de luvre Notre-Dame.[32]. In addition to being one of the finest examples of high Gothic architecture remaining today, Strasbourg Cathedral has a fascinating history spanning hundreds of years. [71], The narthex of the cathedral and massive pillars supporting the tower, seen from the central nave, Inside of west front doors, with blind rose window and column-statue of St. Peter. In height to the vaults it is 32.616 metres (107.01ft). 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. The first overhead vault before the cupola features a 19th-century painting of the Last Judgement by Charles Auguste Steinheil, a collaborator of Eugne Viollet-le-Duc and other notable cathedral-restorers. [18], The next major step was the reconstruction of the nave into the Gothic style, which took place between 1240 and 1274. Each pillar bundles sixteen smaller columns, of which five reach upward to support the vaults overhead. Strasbourg Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, France. The Strasbourg Christmas markets are located in old Strasbourg, which is located on an island in the middle of the city. The original statue-columns of the Apostles from the 1220s which supported the tympanum were smashed in 1793 during the French Revolution. On the south side, the upper windows depict soldiers, popes, bishops, and other masculine figures. Strasbourg Cathedral still holds a remarkable record, 7. Today, about 275,000 people live there (with around 780,000 in the metropolitan area ). The Silbermann organ had three keyboards, thirty-nine jeux, or effects and two thousand, two hundred forty-two pipes. The west front was also exceptional because it was flanked by two towers, the "harmonic" style which became common in Gothic cathedrals during the following century. Media in category "Strasbourg Cathedral organ" The following 102 files are in this category, out of 102 total. 1. But it hasn't always been. The rose window, with a rayonnant Gothic design, is fourteen metres in diameter and was finished in 1345. It is the least decorated side of the cathedral. Described by Victor Hugo as a "gigantic and delicate marvel",[7] and by Goethe as a "sublimely towering, wide-spreading tree of God",[2] the cathedral is visible far across the plains of Alsace and can be seen from as far off as the Vosges Mountains or the Black Forest on the other side of the Rhine. Strasbourg Cathedral (official French: Notre-Dame de Strasbourg ,German: Liebfrauenmnster zu Straburg, Our Lady of Strasbourg) is the Cathedral in Strasbourg. It was the tallest building of world for over 227 years. This embroidered cloth has a length of about 70 meters (230 feet) and a height of 50 centimeters (20 inches). The first astronomical clock was installed in the cathedral from 135254 until 1500. LMENTS POUR UNE RPONSE", Les grandes dates de lhistoire de la Cathdrale de Strasbourg, "1439 1527: Strasbourg, loge suprme du Saint-Empire romain germanique", "Strasbourg Cathedral and the French Revolution (17891802)", "1906-1926: Consolidation des fondations du pilier de la tou", "CLBRATION DANS LA CATHDRALE DE NOTRE-DAME STRASBOURG HOMLIE DU PAPE JEAN-PAUL II Samedi, 8 octobre 1988", "Sculpture - Muse de l'uvre Notre-Dame", "L'histoire de la sculpture de saint Arbogast", "1399 1419: Construction de la haute tour", "Jubil du demi-millnaire de la flche de la cathdrale de Strasbourg. Above this is a globe, with painted figures of the Church and the Antichrist confronting each other. [41][42], During World War II, the cathedral was seen as a symbol for both warring parties. It was originally made in 1498 by Nicolas Roder for the cemetery of Saint-Thomas, and was based on engravings by Martin Schongauer and Albrecht Drer. Cathedral. It is the second most visited cathedral in France, just after Notre Dame de Paris! [57] Following their destruction during the French Revolution, several of the sculptures have been replaced in the 19th century by works by Philippe Grass,[58] Jean-tienne Malade,[59] and Jean Vallastre. The visual effect of the faade is enhanced by its unusual darkish red stone. Ad vertisement from shop HayleesSilver. The new plan was inspired in part by French cathedrals, particularly the Basilica of Saint-Urbain of Troyes. [81], The man on the balustrade (south transept). [18]. 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. In 1518, a 'dancing plague' affected around 400 people in Strasbourg, Alsace (Now a city of France . It was hoisted up to its present position in 1327. 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 cathedral is illuminated by one of the most remarkable collections of stained-glassed windows in the world. Between 1200 and 1228, the Romanesque vaults of the north transept were replaced by the pointed Gothic rib vault, which were stronger and shifted the thrust of the weight outwards, reducing the need for massive pillars in the interior. The Strasbourg astronomical clock is located in the Cathdrale Notre-Dame of Strasbourg, Alsace, France. The octagonal vault is covered with arches and lacelike interlaced sculpture in the late Gothic Flamboyant style. CATHDRALE ALLEMANDE? By the use of buttresses and a double wall, the outer wall decorative with wide spaces, and the inner wall bearing the weight and having large windows, the interior of the cathedral could have more light. [26][27][28], The octagonal north tower was the combined work of architects Ulrich Ensingen (shaft) and Johannes Hltz of Cologne (top). This cathedral was then again replaced by a more prominent structure which consisted of three naves and three apses, and it was on the ruins of this Carolingian cathedral that the original modern-day cathedral was constructed in 1015. It's the most. 300 years actually, give or take a few decade! In the late Middle Ages, the city of Strasbourg had managed to liberate itself from the domination of the bishop and to rise to the status of Free Imperial City. The extension concerns the Neustadt, new town, designed and built under the German administration (1871-1918).