[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 Cathedrale Strasbourg is a Roman Catholic Church renovated and essentially rebuilt (from the original church of 1015) at the end of the 12th century in a Gothic architectural style. [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. One of the architects was Erwin von Steinbach. .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. These windows consist of 5 sets and depict 19 Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Its the capital of the Grand Est region of France in the historic region of Alsace. At Strasbourg it is 61.5 metres (202ft) long and 16 metres (52ft) wide, not counting the two collateral aisles, which are each 10.41 metres (34.2ft) wide. While its most definitely assumed that drawings of buildings were made before the construction of this cathedral, the construction of this particular church marked an important moment in architectural history. Because of this amazing trick, the spire was saved! The known dimensions of the building are as follows:[87]. Homepage Strasbourg. The most amazing feature of the cathedral is its west faade, 9. The cathedral is open from October to March from 10 a.m.. It was the highest building in the world from 1647 to 1874. This unique architectural style of the cathedral makes it all the more beautiful. 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. This massive faade was decorated with thousands of figures giving it a unique and magnificent impression! Above this are blind arcades, an ornate cornice, and then a pointed roof with a pair of dormer or skylight windows, a small window above a large one, on each side, which brought light to the choir below. Under the roof of the Klotz tower are the six bells that ring the weekly masses but also the baptisms, marriages and deaths of parishioners. The chair of Bishop Broughton, first Anglican Bishop of Sydney, Australia. [53], The portal of Saint-Laurent, on the north transept, The three Kings with the Virgin Mary and child, Original statues in the Muse de l'uvre Notre-Dame, The portal of Saint Lawrence, was added to the north transept between 1495 and 1505 by Jacob von (or Jacques de) Landshut, with sculptures by Hans von Aachen (aka Johan von Ach, or Jean d'Aix-la-Chapelle) and Conrad Sifer. Today it is the sixth-tallest church in the world and the highest still standing extant structure built entirely in the Middle Ages. The crossing dome is placed over the meeting point of the transept and the choir, and, like the bell tower, has eight sides. It was called the Dreiknigsuhr ("three-king clock"), and was located at the opposite wall from where today's clock is. In 1877, architect Gustave Klotz reconstituted the windows in their original arrangement. It is the least decorated side of the cathedral. 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. [56], Lintel decoration Mary ascends to Heaven, Ecclesia and Synagoga among other statues from the cathedral in the Muse de l'uvre Notre-Dame, The south portal, or Portal of the Virgin, dates to about the 1220s, the same time as the Pillar of the Angels and the Astronomic clock in the interior. Parcours "The Cathedral of Strasbourg" Streetcar line: Ligne A, D-Arrt : Langstross Grand'Rue. The wicked attempt, without success, to seduce the noble Virgins, but succeed with the foolish virgins. 00 4006 Langhausorgel im Strassburger Mnster.jpg 1,467 2,200; 3.7 MB 14-02-07-Cathdrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg-RalfR-05.jpg 2,848 4,288; 9.23 MB 14-02-07-Cathdrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg-RalfR-11.jpg 2,848 4,288; 8.14 MB Church of St Peter the Young. However, between 1250 and 1255 they decided to become more ambitious, and used what was called the "Parisian style"; this created three levels with a total height of 32 meters from the floor to the vaults. This included rebuilding the crypt and the addition of new stained-glass windows. Dreamstime is the world`s largest stock photography community. [52], The cathedral has three portals, corresponding to the three vessels of the nave. [18], The new church was exceptionally large, just ten meters shorter than the present cathedral, and just ten meters narrower on its west front. The tower is one of the first to rely substantially on craftsmanship, with the final appearance being one with a high degree of linearity captured in stone. 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. Lets take a closer look at some of the most interesting facts about Strasbourg Cathedral. 15 Fabulous Facts About Luxembourg Palace, A-Z Index - Art Timeline - Architecture Timeline - Contact - Terms - Privacy Policy - About Art Facts, 1. The cathedral was built in Gothic style. [44] On 1 March 1941, General Leclerc made the "Oath of Kufra" (serment de Koufra), stating he would "rest the weapons only when our beautiful colours fly again on Strasbourg's cathedral". The Palais Rohan (Rohan Palace) in Strasbourg is the former residence of the prince-bishops and cardinals of the House of Rohan, an ancient French Noble family originally from Brittany.. The crossing of the transept and the choir is topped by the central cupola or dome, which is supported by four gigantic pillars, each wrapped in eight columns, which reach up to support the vaults under the cupola. The other vaults in the crossing were also intended to be painted, but funding was insufficient. [49], In 2000, an Al-Qaeda plot to bomb the adjacent Christmas market was prevented by French and German police. The current cathedral was completed in 1439 and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1988. Figures of two reclining women hold a cadran (clock face) between them which tells the minutes. The sacristy occupies the upper level over the chapel. Three high-spots make the visit unforgettable. The tower was saved, however, when in May of the same year citizens of Strasbourg crowned it with a giant tin Phrygian cap of the kind the Enrags themselves wore. It is one of the oldest parts of the cathedral, constructed in about 1170 and then rebuilt in Gothic style in 1230, with the same height as the adjoining nave. They were constructed around its nave in the 12th century to lend support to the thin walls, after the need. Construction of the original, on the exact site of a Roman temple, was initiated in 1015 but later destroyed by a fire. At the lower level are statues of the four Evangelists. The first astronomical clock was installed in the cathedral from 135254 until 1500. The Director of public works of Strasbourg, Grold, quickly took down and protected the statues of the portal, but 215 statues of the voussures over the portals were smashed with hammers, as were the angels atop the gables on the facade, and the crowns and sceptres of the statues of the kings. The cathedral in Strasbourg is widely known as one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in whole Europe. This is also true for Ecclesia and Synagoga, arguably the most famous statues of the cathedral, if not of Strasbourg. The South Transept contains the Pillar of Angels, a massive supporting pillar for the ceiling. One of the most fascinating churches in the world can be found in the east of France. The cathedral can be seen from over 30 kilometers (20 miles) away from all sides on a clear day. The cathedral is illuminated by one of the most remarkable collections of stained-glassed windows in the world. It was hoisted up to its present position in 1327. 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. A round, Baroque sacristy of modest proportions was added north-east of the northern transept in 1744 by the city's chief architect Joseph Massol according to plans by Robert de Cotte and between 1772 and 1778 architect Jean-Laurent Goetz surrounded the cathedral by a gallery in early Gothic Revival style in order to reorganise the merchants' shops that used to settle around the building (and would do so until 1843). The very beautiful stained glass windows date from the fourteenth century and is mostly a work by John Kircheim. The Gothic style also appeared in the statuary, particularly the Pillar of the Angels, and in the tympanums over the double portals on the south transept, which showed the influence of the sculpture in French Gothic cathedrals. The reverse of the central doors of the portal has a column statue of Saint Peter holding the keys of the kingdom and above it a blind rose, without glass, a miniature version of the large rose window above it. 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 first cathedral was built on top of this temple and was completed in the 7th century, but nothing of these structures remains today. [8], A set of "Emperor" windows, (Otto I, Otto II, Otto III, Conrad II, Henry III), Emperors Philip of Swabia, Henry IV, Henry V, Frederick II, Henry II of Bamberg, with head remounted on earlier body (1522), The five lower bays on the north side contain some of the oldest stained glass of the cathedral, installed in the old Romanesque cathedral in about 1180. The octagon tower was begun in 1399 by Ulrich von Ensingen (chief architect until 1419), and crowned with a spire by his successor Johannes Hltz. A retrouver dans la galerie. [67], The spire above the tower is composed of eight stages of elaborate octagonal structure, linked together by interlaced arches and pinnacles, which contain a stairway to the lantern at the top. It was rebuilt 1298, in 13241327, in 1384, 1430, and 1489 and finally in 1716 by Andr Silbermann. The Strasbourg Cathedral in France is known for its unique spire, because of it the cathedral was the highest monument in the world for more than two centuries! [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 first version of the church was starting to be built during 1015 by proposal of Bishop Werner von Habsburg, but fire destroyed most of the original Romanesque building.