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The unique artistic achievements in architecture style led to the inscription of the Cathedral of Strasbourg to the World Heritage List in 1988. A masterpiece in architecture it is, the first impression the Cathedral produces on the mind is not only its celebrated noble edifice whose steeple towers up so gracefully and majestically, but also without doubt the disproportion and inconsistency in architectural style that exist in it: the nave is not in harmony with the dimensions of the tower, the chancel and transept still less so. After an examination at the cathedral’s historical backgrounds, it’s not hard to find the uniqueness of the cathedral’s architectural style as somewhat predetermined by and in return reflecting the unique cultural and political context in which it stands.
The Cathedral has been placed in the center of struggle, between Episcopal and civil administration, between Catholic and Protestant, between French and German influence for centuries, making every single element of the cathedral itself embody and represent these political, religious and cultural struggles.
Ever since Strasbourg came under control of the Holy Roman Empire in 923, the conflict between its bishops and the citizens had lasted for centuries. During the early stage of which the city of Strasbourg had developed, it was primarily under Episcopal administration, and in the twelfth century it prospered greatly. Thus the efforts in the early 11th century by bishop Werner I to build a new cathedral on the ruins of the Carolingian basilica fits in well in serving as a proof of the power of the church. In order to build the cathedral, the bishop gave to the library of the Minster numerous manuscripts which he had collected in Italy, making it no more evident that he wanted the cathedral to stand as his design, thus stand as well as an open statement made to the public of the Episcopal suzerainty of Strasbourg. The cathedral was thus constructed in a Romanesque architecture style. However unfortunately, the bishop’s design did not stand for long, just as the Episcopal suzerainty in Strasbourg did not stand for long.
The Romanesque cathedral with its nave covered with a wooden framework was burnt down in a fire in 1176. After that disaster, bishop Heinrich von Hasenburg decided to construct a new cathedral on the foundations of the preceding structure, to be more beautiful than that of Basel in Switzerland, to give an even more obvious and better proof of power. Because at that time after the prosperity in the 12th century the church was in a position powerful enough for and such a position truly in need of a project grand enough to build up its political prestige as it was in the center of struggle to retain its suzerainty. As a result of its ambitious political agenda, the construction of the new cathedral was to be an on-going project that did not end until centuries later, long enough to see, in fact, the downfall of the church’s suzerainty. The city’s efforts to abolish Episcopal suzerainty and to obtain new privileges were especially successful during the German Conflict of Investitures. The populace, siding with the council and the patricians, defeated the Episcopal forces in1262, thus practically establishing the independence of the city. As a result of the continual wars and tumultuous commotions of the time, sided with a few successive fires, it was not easy for the bishops to carry on the project or to undertake essential repairs. However, the project was never abandoned. Bishop Conrad of Lichtenberg (1273-99) is credited for his contribution to the construction of the cathedral. As the Church was gradually losing its power, it wished more than ever to finish the big project to reinforce and prove its political authority. In order to execute his design, the bishop resorted to Indulgence. The raised money was kept by Oeuvre Notre-Dame, which also took the responsibility of hiring architects and labor workers. However, the financial problem was not entirely solved by resorting to Indulgence, which finally contributed to the cathedral’s asymmetry of having only one spire. In the next centuries to come, the disturbances and calamities that desolated Strasbourg, especially the revolution of 1332 that altered the form of the government of the town, the ravage caused by the black plague in 1349 with the insurrections accompanying it, the contest of bishop Berthold with his chapter and with the emperor, all this retarded the progress of the construction of the Cathedral.
Aside from witnessing the struggle between Episcopal and civil administration during which a large part of its construction was completed, the Cathedral of Strasbourg was as well once placed in the center of church reformation, the center of the struggle between Catholics and Protestants.
At the time of the reformation, the Cathedral was passed over to the Protestants; it is true that on account of their worship, they caused several chapels to be closed and some altars to be removed, but they made no material change, nor spoiled any thing; on the contrary, they watched with care over the magnificent building and even caused important repairs to be made in it. In 1654 the skilful architect Heckler was obliged to rebuild the sixty-five feet high spire after the lightning destroyed it.
By the capitulation of 1681 the Cathedral was restored to the Catholics, who immediately began to repair it, but unfortunately in that wretched style then prevailing, and when not the least intelligence of Christian art existed any longer, they pulled down the old lobby, so much admired in the middle age as a masterpiece of elegance; later they adorned the interior of the choir with wainscots of wood painted and gilt, after which they widened it to the detriment of a portion of the nave, and ten years later galleries were made for the orchestra. Commonly seen as a punishment to those who were spoiling this wonderful monument, an earthquake and a few serious lightings struck the cathedral, causing considerable destructions. Furthermore, near the end of the 18th century, the crazy Jacobin Teterel even proposed pulling down the spire, because, by its height extending far beyond that of the ordinary houses, it was condemning the principle of equality. Teterel obtained the assurance at least, that a large red cap made of tin should be placed on the top of the Cathedral.
In addition to the historical significances that the construction and reparation of the cathedral has been carrying, the architecture itself is no less impressive in its incorporation of different architectural styles, and well as its German Münster and French cultural influences.
In the Cathedral are, as it were, brought together all the styles or orders of architecture of the middle ages, from its Romanesque foundation, which is often seen as a typical case of the Byzantine art with its grave simplicity, down to the last glimmerings of the Gothic art, and its works lined with an excess of superfluous ornaments. The Byzantine taste prevails in the first constructions of the chancel and aisles and even somewhat in the lower part of the nave; higher up, the style in which the ogive was built extends to the other constructions and finally succeeds to the former entirely. After the old church was pulled down by fire in the late 12th Century, a new and more spacious edifice was erected, built in the style which is referred to as Gothic, the one that was to spread over all Europe in the following centuries. This was done by a team coming from Chartres in the year of 1225. The influence from Chartres, a French town well known for its Gothic style Cathedral, adds a significant portion of French cultural influence on the construction of the Cathedral. Entrusted to construct the Cathedral by bishop Conrad, the great architect, Erwin of Steinbach, a native of Mayence, began by rebuilding the French Gothic nave, the arch-roofs of which were completed in 1275. In the following centuries, the construction of the Cathedral were to reach significant artistic achievements, along with the development of French Gothic architectural style and its integration into local architectural styles in regions where now are largely part of Germany and Switzerland. For example, the large rose window that occupies the whole width of the second tier of the middle porch is seen as a great achievement in Gothic architecture. A detached arch surrounds it, which as much on account of the elegance of its workmanship, as of the boldness of its construction, is one of the most admirable parts of the Cathedral. Where the second tier begins, at the bottom of the rose-window, are four equestrian statues, placed in niches in the counterforts, three of which, those of Clovis, Dagobert and Rodolphe of Habsburg, previous benefactors to the church, and the fourth, that of Louis XIV, was placed much later in 1828 from adulation than any other cause. In the interior of the Cathedral, a great many statues and figures complete the ornaments, indicating the Cathedral’s unique cultural and political richness. On the upper tier of the fa?ade are placed the equestrian statues of king Pepin the Short, of Charlemain, Otho the Great and Henry I the Fowler. On the south-side are seen in the first tier the emperors Otho II, Otho III and Henry II; in the upper tier of the same side, the equestrian statues of Conrad II, Henry III and the statue of Henry IV. On the north-side of the fa?ade are the equestrian statues of Charles Martel, the Franconian majordomo; of Louis the Debonair and Lotharius, the son of Louis the Debonair; at last in the upper tier, the statues of Charles the Bald, king of the West-Franconians and the equestrian statues of Lotharius II and Louis the German. The wall of the upper tier has openings for several windows, above which a gallery runs all along; two round-windows take up the third tier. The northern portion of the cross-aisle has more generally preserved the Byzantine manner than that we have just spoken of; however, this intermixture with the gothic style denounces latter renovations. The ancient porch, the remains of very old constructions, is masked by a fore-front that belongs to the last period of the Gothic art, and which was built in 1494 by James of Landshut, more than half a century after John Hültz of Cologne laid the last stone to finish the spire. This new porch, though handsome in its ensemble, is wanting in that noble simplicity and purity of taste, which distinguishes the other parts of the Cathedral; it is overloaded with ornaments, and its statues have a stiffness that is found nowhere else.
In its more recent history, when the Germans and French fought over the sovereignty of Strasbourg, the Cathedral, as the city, further connects the German and French cultural influences. After Louis XIV annexed Strasbourg 1681, during the episcopate of Charles Egon of Fürstenberg (1663-82), whose sympathies were French, however the districts on the right bank of the Rhine remained within the German Empire, and the bishop was still their ruler as prince of the empire. The year 1870, when the Germans tried to force the surrender by the bombardment and partial destruction of the inner town, they set fire to the Cathedral, as a result of which, the whole roof came down, and the beautiful Organ built by Silbermann was pierced by a shell and the magnificent painted windows were in great part spoiled. After the entrance of the Germans into the reconquered town, the difficult and dangerous work of restoration of the point of the spire was begun at once, adding new German elements to the construction.
In conclusion, the Cathedral of Strasbourg witnesses the city’s struggle to abolish Episcopal administration. It was Catholic in its 13th-century inspiration; occupied by the Protestants through much of the 16th and 17th; and illuminated by Enlightenment reason in the 18th. And it stands on the land where the French and the Germans warred over for half a millennium, but is now symbolizing the Franco-German Act of Union. Its basic design is French, but the details are German. All of these indicate that it is a product of the unique political, religious and cultural settings, thus making it representative figure of this uniqueness.
【Bibliography】
[1] Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of Strasburg, The Project Gutenberg eBook, Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of Strasburg, by Anonymous, October 12, 2007 [eBook #22990]
[2] John M. Jeep, Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia, Published by Routledge, 2001
[3]Lins, Joseph. "Strasburg." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912.5Jan.2009.
[4]Kleiner, Fred and Mamiya, Christin. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. Wadsworth Publishing; 12th edition 2004. Vol. I
[5] Strasbourg in Transition, 1648-1789 by Franklin L. Ford , The American Historical Review, Vol. 64, No. 2 (Jan., 1959)
The Cathedral has been placed in the center of struggle, between Episcopal and civil administration, between Catholic and Protestant, between French and German influence for centuries, making every single element of the cathedral itself embody and represent these political, religious and cultural struggles.
Ever since Strasbourg came under control of the Holy Roman Empire in 923, the conflict between its bishops and the citizens had lasted for centuries. During the early stage of which the city of Strasbourg had developed, it was primarily under Episcopal administration, and in the twelfth century it prospered greatly. Thus the efforts in the early 11th century by bishop Werner I to build a new cathedral on the ruins of the Carolingian basilica fits in well in serving as a proof of the power of the church. In order to build the cathedral, the bishop gave to the library of the Minster numerous manuscripts which he had collected in Italy, making it no more evident that he wanted the cathedral to stand as his design, thus stand as well as an open statement made to the public of the Episcopal suzerainty of Strasbourg. The cathedral was thus constructed in a Romanesque architecture style. However unfortunately, the bishop’s design did not stand for long, just as the Episcopal suzerainty in Strasbourg did not stand for long.
The Romanesque cathedral with its nave covered with a wooden framework was burnt down in a fire in 1176. After that disaster, bishop Heinrich von Hasenburg decided to construct a new cathedral on the foundations of the preceding structure, to be more beautiful than that of Basel in Switzerland, to give an even more obvious and better proof of power. Because at that time after the prosperity in the 12th century the church was in a position powerful enough for and such a position truly in need of a project grand enough to build up its political prestige as it was in the center of struggle to retain its suzerainty. As a result of its ambitious political agenda, the construction of the new cathedral was to be an on-going project that did not end until centuries later, long enough to see, in fact, the downfall of the church’s suzerainty. The city’s efforts to abolish Episcopal suzerainty and to obtain new privileges were especially successful during the German Conflict of Investitures. The populace, siding with the council and the patricians, defeated the Episcopal forces in1262, thus practically establishing the independence of the city. As a result of the continual wars and tumultuous commotions of the time, sided with a few successive fires, it was not easy for the bishops to carry on the project or to undertake essential repairs. However, the project was never abandoned. Bishop Conrad of Lichtenberg (1273-99) is credited for his contribution to the construction of the cathedral. As the Church was gradually losing its power, it wished more than ever to finish the big project to reinforce and prove its political authority. In order to execute his design, the bishop resorted to Indulgence. The raised money was kept by Oeuvre Notre-Dame, which also took the responsibility of hiring architects and labor workers. However, the financial problem was not entirely solved by resorting to Indulgence, which finally contributed to the cathedral’s asymmetry of having only one spire. In the next centuries to come, the disturbances and calamities that desolated Strasbourg, especially the revolution of 1332 that altered the form of the government of the town, the ravage caused by the black plague in 1349 with the insurrections accompanying it, the contest of bishop Berthold with his chapter and with the emperor, all this retarded the progress of the construction of the Cathedral.
Aside from witnessing the struggle between Episcopal and civil administration during which a large part of its construction was completed, the Cathedral of Strasbourg was as well once placed in the center of church reformation, the center of the struggle between Catholics and Protestants.
At the time of the reformation, the Cathedral was passed over to the Protestants; it is true that on account of their worship, they caused several chapels to be closed and some altars to be removed, but they made no material change, nor spoiled any thing; on the contrary, they watched with care over the magnificent building and even caused important repairs to be made in it. In 1654 the skilful architect Heckler was obliged to rebuild the sixty-five feet high spire after the lightning destroyed it.
By the capitulation of 1681 the Cathedral was restored to the Catholics, who immediately began to repair it, but unfortunately in that wretched style then prevailing, and when not the least intelligence of Christian art existed any longer, they pulled down the old lobby, so much admired in the middle age as a masterpiece of elegance; later they adorned the interior of the choir with wainscots of wood painted and gilt, after which they widened it to the detriment of a portion of the nave, and ten years later galleries were made for the orchestra. Commonly seen as a punishment to those who were spoiling this wonderful monument, an earthquake and a few serious lightings struck the cathedral, causing considerable destructions. Furthermore, near the end of the 18th century, the crazy Jacobin Teterel even proposed pulling down the spire, because, by its height extending far beyond that of the ordinary houses, it was condemning the principle of equality. Teterel obtained the assurance at least, that a large red cap made of tin should be placed on the top of the Cathedral.
In addition to the historical significances that the construction and reparation of the cathedral has been carrying, the architecture itself is no less impressive in its incorporation of different architectural styles, and well as its German Münster and French cultural influences.
In the Cathedral are, as it were, brought together all the styles or orders of architecture of the middle ages, from its Romanesque foundation, which is often seen as a typical case of the Byzantine art with its grave simplicity, down to the last glimmerings of the Gothic art, and its works lined with an excess of superfluous ornaments. The Byzantine taste prevails in the first constructions of the chancel and aisles and even somewhat in the lower part of the nave; higher up, the style in which the ogive was built extends to the other constructions and finally succeeds to the former entirely. After the old church was pulled down by fire in the late 12th Century, a new and more spacious edifice was erected, built in the style which is referred to as Gothic, the one that was to spread over all Europe in the following centuries. This was done by a team coming from Chartres in the year of 1225. The influence from Chartres, a French town well known for its Gothic style Cathedral, adds a significant portion of French cultural influence on the construction of the Cathedral. Entrusted to construct the Cathedral by bishop Conrad, the great architect, Erwin of Steinbach, a native of Mayence, began by rebuilding the French Gothic nave, the arch-roofs of which were completed in 1275. In the following centuries, the construction of the Cathedral were to reach significant artistic achievements, along with the development of French Gothic architectural style and its integration into local architectural styles in regions where now are largely part of Germany and Switzerland. For example, the large rose window that occupies the whole width of the second tier of the middle porch is seen as a great achievement in Gothic architecture. A detached arch surrounds it, which as much on account of the elegance of its workmanship, as of the boldness of its construction, is one of the most admirable parts of the Cathedral. Where the second tier begins, at the bottom of the rose-window, are four equestrian statues, placed in niches in the counterforts, three of which, those of Clovis, Dagobert and Rodolphe of Habsburg, previous benefactors to the church, and the fourth, that of Louis XIV, was placed much later in 1828 from adulation than any other cause. In the interior of the Cathedral, a great many statues and figures complete the ornaments, indicating the Cathedral’s unique cultural and political richness. On the upper tier of the fa?ade are placed the equestrian statues of king Pepin the Short, of Charlemain, Otho the Great and Henry I the Fowler. On the south-side are seen in the first tier the emperors Otho II, Otho III and Henry II; in the upper tier of the same side, the equestrian statues of Conrad II, Henry III and the statue of Henry IV. On the north-side of the fa?ade are the equestrian statues of Charles Martel, the Franconian majordomo; of Louis the Debonair and Lotharius, the son of Louis the Debonair; at last in the upper tier, the statues of Charles the Bald, king of the West-Franconians and the equestrian statues of Lotharius II and Louis the German. The wall of the upper tier has openings for several windows, above which a gallery runs all along; two round-windows take up the third tier. The northern portion of the cross-aisle has more generally preserved the Byzantine manner than that we have just spoken of; however, this intermixture with the gothic style denounces latter renovations. The ancient porch, the remains of very old constructions, is masked by a fore-front that belongs to the last period of the Gothic art, and which was built in 1494 by James of Landshut, more than half a century after John Hültz of Cologne laid the last stone to finish the spire. This new porch, though handsome in its ensemble, is wanting in that noble simplicity and purity of taste, which distinguishes the other parts of the Cathedral; it is overloaded with ornaments, and its statues have a stiffness that is found nowhere else.
In its more recent history, when the Germans and French fought over the sovereignty of Strasbourg, the Cathedral, as the city, further connects the German and French cultural influences. After Louis XIV annexed Strasbourg 1681, during the episcopate of Charles Egon of Fürstenberg (1663-82), whose sympathies were French, however the districts on the right bank of the Rhine remained within the German Empire, and the bishop was still their ruler as prince of the empire. The year 1870, when the Germans tried to force the surrender by the bombardment and partial destruction of the inner town, they set fire to the Cathedral, as a result of which, the whole roof came down, and the beautiful Organ built by Silbermann was pierced by a shell and the magnificent painted windows were in great part spoiled. After the entrance of the Germans into the reconquered town, the difficult and dangerous work of restoration of the point of the spire was begun at once, adding new German elements to the construction.
In conclusion, the Cathedral of Strasbourg witnesses the city’s struggle to abolish Episcopal administration. It was Catholic in its 13th-century inspiration; occupied by the Protestants through much of the 16th and 17th; and illuminated by Enlightenment reason in the 18th. And it stands on the land where the French and the Germans warred over for half a millennium, but is now symbolizing the Franco-German Act of Union. Its basic design is French, but the details are German. All of these indicate that it is a product of the unique political, religious and cultural settings, thus making it representative figure of this uniqueness.
【Bibliography】
[1] Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of Strasburg, The Project Gutenberg eBook, Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of Strasburg, by Anonymous, October 12, 2007 [eBook #22990]
[2] John M. Jeep, Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia, Published by Routledge, 2001
[3]Lins, Joseph. "Strasburg." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912.5Jan.2009
[4]Kleiner, Fred and Mamiya, Christin. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. Wadsworth Publishing; 12th edition 2004. Vol. I
[5] Strasbourg in Transition, 1648-1789 by Franklin L. Ford , The American Historical Review, Vol. 64, No. 2 (Jan., 1959)