Münster Cathedral
Church in Münster, Germany / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Münster Cathedral or St.-Paulus-Dom is the cathedral church of the Catholic Diocese of Münster in Germany, and is dedicated to Saint Paul. It is counted among the most significant church buildings in Münster and, along with the City Hall, is one of the symbols of the city.
Münster Cathedral | |
---|---|
The Cathedral Church of Saint Paul | |
St.-Paulus-Dom | |
51°57′47″N 7°37′32″E | |
Location | Münster |
Country | Germany |
Denomination | Catholic |
Website | www |
Architecture | |
Style | Romanesque and Gothic |
Administration | |
Diocese | Münster |
Clergy | |
Bishop(s) | Felix Genn |
Provost | Hans-Bernd Köppen |
Dean | Christoph Hegge |
The cathedral stands in the heart of the city, on a small hill called Horsteberg, which is encircled by the Roggenmarkt, Prinzipalmarkt and Rothenburg streets and by the Münstersche Aa river. This area, which also contains the Domplatz and surrounding buildings, was the old Domburg. Today the cathedral is the parish church for this area. West of the cathedral lies the bishop's palace and part of the old curia complex along with the current cathedral chapter.
The cathedral had two predecessors. The first cathedral (called the Ludgerus Dom, 805–1377) stood to the north of the current cathedral; the second cathedral was built in the tenth or eleventh century and was demolished during the construction of the third and current cathedral between 1225 and 1264. The imposing westwerk with its nearly identical towers was built as part of the second cathedral around 1192 and was incorporated into the current building. As a result, the cathedral is a mixture of styles, combining the Romanesque westwerk, old choir, and west towers with the Gothic nave, transepts, high choir and ring of chapels.
Each of the cathedral buildings served as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Münster, but each also had additional functions, at least at times. The original Carolingian cathedral was also the collegiate church for a monastery founded by Liudger, with the monks living under the rule of Chrodegang. Each cathedral served as a parish church, originally for the whole of Münster. As a result of the foundation of further parish churches, the parish district of the cathedral was reduced to the Old Domburg and Domimmunität in 1090. In the first half of the thirteenth century, the Church of St Jacobi was built on the Domplatz. With the completion of this church, the cathedral, which was then under construction, lost its function as a parish church entirely. Since the demolition of St Jacobi in 1812, the cathedral regained its role as the parish church for the Old Domburg and Domimmunität.
The cathedral contains the tomb of former Bishop of Münster Clemens August Graf von Galen, who became a cardinal shortly before his death in 1946 and was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.
The current St. Paulus Dom is, in fact, the third cathedral of the diocese of Münster. It was built between 1225 and 1264 and was preceded first by a Carolingian cathedral and second by an Ottonian cathedral.
An overview of the three cathedral buildings follows:[1]
Century | Year | Building | Style | Demolition |
---|---|---|---|---|
9. | 805 | First cathedral (Ludgerus-Dom) | Preromanesque | 1377 |
10/11 | Uncertain | Second cathedral | Ottonian | c.1225 |
12 | 1192 | Westwerk (Old choir, towers) | Romanesque | Largely survives |
13 | 1225–1264 | Third cathedral (St. Paulus Dom) | Gothic |
Carolingian cathedral (805–1377)
The first cathedral was created after the appointment of Liudger as Bishop of Münster in 805. It is therefore known as the Dom des heiligen Liudger or Ludgerus Dom.
Presumed appearance
It was long assumed that the first cathedral was a smaller church, especially because of the history of the foundation by Tibus. Only in 1904 did Savel suggest that the original cathedral was a three-naved basilica. He calculated its width using the northern stairs of the Domplatz and came to a figure of around 20 metres.[2]
Further understanding was brought by the 1936 excavations by Wieschebrink, the director of the diocesan museum. These revealed that the first cathedral stood largely on the site of the later cloisters and Domherrenfriedhof. From the remains of the foundations, it was possible to conclude that the northern side aisle was about 8.3 meters wide, including the outer walls and foundations of the buttresses. Assuming that the nave was double the width of the side aisle (as usual in early medieval church buildings), the first cathedral would have been 27.6 metres wide in total. Based on the excavations, the length is estimated to have been 31.2 metres.
In the northwestern corner of the building, Wieschebrink found additional foundations of a rectangular wall, which were 2 metres thick – considerably thicker than the rest of the walls. From these remains he concluded that there had been a square tower with 8.3-metre-long (27 ft) edges.
Location
The Ludgerus-Dom stood north of the current cathedral, roughly where the cloisters, Domherrenfriedhof, Marienkapelle and sacristry are located today. It was only demolished in the fourteenth century, well after the completion of the third cathedral. It, therefore, outlived the second, Ottonian cathedral entirely.
Until its demolition, the Ludgerus Dom remained largely unaltered. After the consecration of the second cathedral, it was left unused for almost a hundred years. At this time, part of the southwestern corner was demolished for the construction of a chapel, at the order of Bishop Dodo. Only with the foundation of the Collegiate Stift of the Old Dom by Bishop Burchard did the Ludgerus Dom regain a function: the chapter used it as a choir.
On 18 August 1377, Bishop Floris van Wevelinkhoven, the two churches side-by-side blocked the light and ordered the demolition of the Ludgerus Dom. After its demolition, the so-called "Alte Dom" was erected northwest of the original cathedral. This building replaced the Ludgerus Dom as the choir of the chapter.
Ottonian cathedral
The second cathedral was built immediately to the south of the first one. It was located on the site of the third and current cathedral.
Construction date
The date of the second cathedral's construction is not certain.
Art historian Max Geisberg (1875–1943) argued that the second cathedral was built during the reign of Bishop Dodo between 967 and 993. This position was supported by the fact that other important cathedral buildings had a west transept already in the 10th and early 11th centuries. This transept was then reused in the construction of the third and current cathedral. In view of this presumed construction under the Ottonian dynasty, the second cathedral is referred to as the Ottonian cathedral.
The diocese of Münster assumed that the second cathedral was built in the second half of the eleventh century, in response to a fire in the first cathedral which apparently occurred in 1071. The Überwasserkirche only a few hundred metres away was similarly burnt down in the same fire. According to the diocese, the second cathedral was built between 1071 and 1090.[3] The information of the diocese does not necessarily contradict Geisberg's conclusion since the diocese's claim is based on documentary information for the consecration of the second cathedral in 1090, which could have also occurred after a rebuild resulting from the fire.
Presumed appearance
The Ottonian cathedral was mostly demolished to build the third cathedral; today only fragments of the south wall of the side nave of the Ottonianbasilica survive.
The masonry of the western transept was also incorporated into the new building. To this day a large part of the west wall of the Ottonian transept survives (with the exception of the central portion, where the Old Choir was built around 1190), as well as parts of the south wall (which was incorporated into the northern interior wall of the "narthex"), much of the north wall and parts of the walls of the upper story on the east side.
No plans or depictions of the second cathedral survive from which the appearance of the second cathedral could be reconstructed. Since the modern "third" cathedral is located on the same spot as the second cathedral, excavations cannot be undertaken to determine its dimensions or appearance. Based on the surviving remnants of the walls it is only possible to determine the measurements of the Ottonian cathedral's western transept (c. 36.6 m from north to south and 12.4 m from east to west), the interior width of the side-aisle (c.6 m) and nave (c. 12 m), as well as the thickness of the exterior walls of the side-aisle (c.1 m) and the walls between the side-aisles and the nave (c.1.5 m). In total, therefore, the second cathedral appears to have been about 30 m wide.
The numbers and letters in brackets in the following section refer to the ground plan below.
Romanesque westwerk (after 1192)
In 1192, at the order of Bishop Hermann II von Katzenelnbogen (and at his own expense) a new westwerk was added to the (Ottonian) cathedral.[4] This consisted of the Old Choir (B), located in the current western apse, flanked by two towers (A and C) in the Romanesque style.
This westwerk was integrated into the third cathedral and mostly survives today.
Gothic cathedral
The foundation stone for the third and current St Paulus Dom was laid in 1225 by Bishop Dietrich III. von Isenberg. Unlike the two previous construction processes, the builder was not the bishop but the Chapter of the New Cathedral (Kapitel des Neuen Doms), which had clearly gained influence in the meantime.
In 1264, after nearly forty years of construction, St Paulus Dom was completed and on 30 September 1264 it was consecrated by Bishop Gerhard von der Mark.
It consists of a domed basilica with double transepts in the Gothic style. The cathedral is 108.95 metres long. The western transept is 52.85 metres wide, including the narthex (40.53 metres wide without it). The nave (G), with two side-aisles (H and I) between the two transepts, has a width of 28.3 metres. The eastern transept is 43.4 metres wide. Most of the earlier structure was torn down to make way for the present building, but some parts were reused. Among these are the westwerk, parts of the western transept (D and E), and parts of the wall of the southern side-aisle (I). As a result, the building is a mixture of the Romanesque and Gothic styles.
14th century
In 1377 the first cathedral was demolished and the so-called Alte Dom or Old Cathedral (e) was built, as a replacement for the first cathedral, which had been used as a choir by the chapter of the Old (Ludgerus) cathedral. Like the modern cathedral, the Alte Dom was built in the gothic style.
In 1390, the Marienkapelle (W), Annenkapelle (Y) and Elisabethkapelle (Z) were built – the latter two were incorporated into the new sacristry in 1885. Between 1390 and 1395, the cloisters (U) were built. In the process, part of the Alte Dom built shortly beforehand must have been demolished and moved to the west. Thereafter the Alte Dom was flanked by the west transept and the western end of the cloisters until its demolition in 1875.
16th and 17th centuries
Around 1516 the (formerly High Gothic) west portal (2) was expanded and redone in the Late Gothic style.
During the Anabaptist rule of Münster in 1534 and 1535, the cathedral was not spared from destruction at the hands of the Anabaptists. In the iconoclasm of 1534, numerous images and figures were destroyed, including those by Heinrich Brabender, as well as the original astronomical clock which dated from 1408 (since it was decorated with biblical images).
After the end of Anabaptist rule, the interior of the cathedral was renovated, and the chapter hall (T) was built. Heinrich Brabender's son Johann Brabender made new sculptures to replace those that had been destroyed. Ludger und Hermann tom Ring, two important Westphalian painters, repainted the cathedral. Between 1540 and 1542, the extant astronomical clock was installed. The second rood screen, the Apostelgang, followed between 1542 and 1549 – it was demolished in 1870.
In the 16th century, the main entrance hall of the cathedral, the "narthex" (F), and the southern extension of the east transept (M) were built, partially expanded and decorated with sculpture; towards the end of the 16th century an armaria was added to the ambulatory, the current Kreuzkapelle (R).
In 1663, Prince-Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen had three chapels (O, P and Q) built onto the ambulatory, south of the armaria. These chapels, called the Von Galenschen Kapellen after him, mimic the shape of the armaria. In 1697, the Vicars' sacristry (J) was built between the northern part of the east transept (the so-called Stephanuschor, K) and the northern side-aisle. After the construction of the sacristry (X) in 1885, the cathedral treasury was built under the Vicars' sacristry. Today the Sakramentskapelle is located here.
19th century
A new sacristry (X, on the "Plan of the Cathedral today") was built between the Marienkapelle (W) and the Chapter Hall (T) in 1885. For this new building, it was necessary to remove St.-Anna / Margareten-Kapelle (Y) which neighboured it to the south, the St.-Elisabeth-Kapelle (Z) which was between that chapel and the chapter hall and the passageway connecting the cloisters to the east side of the cathedral.
20th century
In the Second World War, the cathedral was severely damaged by bombing. The collapse of the vaults and walls led to the destruction of the wall and ceiling decoration created by Hermann tom Ring in the middle of the 16th century and the west portal from the first half of the 16th century (2). The treasury was removed from the cathedral during the war and remained unscathed.
Between 1946 and 1956, the cathedral was rebuilt. With the exception of the paintings mentioned above and the west portal, the cathedral was reconstructed according to its original appearance. Thus, the altars and epitaphs were returned to their original places.
In 1955 and 1956, the high choir (N), the altar room (L) and the east transept were reorganised liturgically according to the plans of Emil Steffann. The Baroque high altar which was originally located in the high choir was relocated to the west wall of the Old Choir (Westchoir, B). The cathedra is also located in the high choir in the same location. The main altar (Volksaltar, people's altar) was placed in the middle of the crossing (L), with the pews arranged around it on three sides.[5]
In 1981, the new cathedral treasury was opened. It bordered on the northern edge of the cloisters and contained the cathedral treasury as well as artistic and cultural items from throughout the diocese' history.
Between 1985 and 1990, the windows of the sidewalls of the ambulatory (S) and the surrounding ring of chapels (O, P, Q and R) were restored. These windows consisted of a cycle of 17 glass windows made by glass artist Georg Meistermann. The windows are decorated with abstract-geometric colour surfaces and symbolic Biblical motifs.[6]
21st century
Restoration (2009–2013)
From 2009 til the beginning of 2013, the cathedral underwent renovations – first the facade of the west choir, the west towers, the Salvator pediment and the roof supports. The entire 5500 m2 copper roof was refitted. From the end of 2011 interior work took place: upgrading the heating, ventilation, lighting, audio, and fire safety systems as well as repainting the interior.[7] Fifteen agencies, 51 workshops and 350 individual workers took part in the phase of the renovations lasting from 7 June 2010 to 15 February 2013. During this period, 10,000 square metres of wall and vault surface were repainted, and 24 kilometres of cable were laid. Roofs, walls and artworks in the cathedral were cleaned and repainted. As part of the technological upgrades, an energy-saving heating system, modern LED lighting and a new microphone system were installed. The digital loudspeaker system was also redesigned and a loop installed for the hearing impaired. Disabled access was added at the portal to the astronomical clock. The wooden casing of the clock was replaced. Control of lights, audio and bells was centralised to a control centre in the sacristry. Bright light was ensured by light-wreaths and "light spouts" ("small brass arms extending from the walls, which look like waterspouts and throw their LED light onto the worshippers below and over the walls and ceiling above, so that the cathedral and its vaults are indirectly lit up by its rays.")[8] The total cost of all these measures is believed to be around 14 million euros.[9] During the renovation the grave chamber of the bishops under the west choir was entirely rebuilt; the access is located in the southern tower chapel (C). The building work made it possible for archaeological work to be carried out under the west choir and sacristry.[10] The cathedral was reopened on 15 February 2013.[11]
Former west portal
The westwerk initially did not include a true portal. The "Old Choir" probably only allowed access from the interior of the cathedral (i.e. from the west transept); the access was probably located at the southern end of the east wall of the Old Choir.
High Gothic portal (c. 1400)
Around 1400 a (first) portal in the High Gothic style was installed in the west wall of the Old Choir, in the same location as the later portal in the late gothic style (see below).
The niches of the recesses containing the doors were decorated with sculptures. It is assumed that a siren, a lamb and a lion decorated the left side, while a phoenix, a pelican and an eagle. Additional decoration consisted of wimperg and corbels decorated with foliage and long-haired, crowned female heads. These were very severely damaged during the Anabaptist rule of Münster in 1534–1535, after the Anabaptists launched an iconoclasm and destroyed sculptures and figures.
Late Gothic portal (1516)
In 1516 the portal was restored and expanded. This was a significant expansion of the cathedral: the result was an imposing west portal in the late gothic style, which formed a key part of the cathedral for almost 450 years.
The dry-stone pediment was replaced by a pediment of cut stone blocks and richly decorated with images and sculpture. Above the portal was a trace-work gallery with giant trace-work windows (9.62 m high and 6.7 m wide). On the sides were statues of St Paul and St Peter. Above the trace-work gallery were three pointed arch niches with life size sculptures depicting the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The figures in the middle niche were 2.4 x 2.3 m in size, in the left niche 1.98 x 1.54 m and in the right niche 1.84 x 1.37 m. They were made by Heinrich Brabender and were the only figures in Münster to survive the iconoclasm of the Anabaptists, probably because their height made them too difficult to reach. Two corbels from the westwerk by Heinrich Brabender, one of which is probably a self-portrait, are now on display in the Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History.
During a renovation of the west portal in 1850, the trace-work gallery and the pinnacles above the gable were restored. In 1904 the stained-glass windows were replaced by a painted glass window donated by Kaiser Wilhelm and created by the artist Carl de Bouché. This window depicted the meeting of Charlemagne, Pope Leo III and Liudger in 799 at Paderborn.
From the first half of the eighteenth century, the west portal had a forecourt which was divided off from the Domplatz by a stone balustrade and a high iron grill. It was created in 1710 at the earliest and in 1748 at the latest. The entrance on one side was decorated with a 1.66 m high and 1.74 m wide depiction of religion in the form of a woman with a cross and a tablet of laws enthroned on clouds, which was created by Johann Christoph Manskirch. A small angel pointed to the tablet, while a sinner was depicted falling into the depths with a snake in his hand. The depiction on the other side is not preserved and cannot be determined from old photographs. Max Geisberg considered it a depiction of the church, Guilleaume a depiction of the Old and New Testaments. The forecourt was expanded in 1873, in the process of which the iron railing is meant to have been sold to the Count of Landsberg.
After the Second World War
The portal was destroyed by a bombing raid in the Second World War and was not rebuilt after the war. The remains of the west portal were removed and replaced by a simple sandstone wall.
Before this, there was heated discussion among conservators and the people of Münster about how the portal should be restored. The plans of the bishop of the time, Michael Keller, for the restoration of the original Romanesque west portal provoked an explosion of letters of protest in the Westfälische Nachrichten.[12] These had no effect on the bishop's intentions.
Following a plan by Fritz Thoma, twelve round windows were built in a circle in the west wall, with four further windows arranged in a square inside them. This arrangement was based on the original Romanesque westwerk, with clear influence of 1950s architectural fashions. Scornful names for the sixteen windows circulated among the populace. Thus, they are sometimes called "Keller windows" (in reference to their builder, bishop Keller), "Seelenbrause" (Soul-burst),[12] or "Wählscheibe Gottes" (God's rotary dial).[12]
Former rood screen
Until the 1870s, the crossing choir was separated from the nave by a large rood screen made of Bamberg limestone, which linked both the western pillars of the crossing (F). The rood screen was made by the brothers Franz and Johann Brabender between 1542 and 1549, to replace the original (Gothic) rood screen from the 13th century, which was destroyed during the Anabaptist rule of Münster.
The rood screen of 1549 was an arcade or hall rood screen. Aside from this screen, the crossing choir was separated from the east transept, i.e. the Stephanus and Johannes choirs, by walls between the northern and southern pillars of the crossing respectively which was almost as high as the screen.
The back wall of the rood screen (facing the high choir) was massive and closed. There were two doors in it, by which clergy could access the nave from the high choir (e.g. for distributing communion). There was a tower containing a stairway at the point where the screen met each of the crossing pillars. They allowed access to the rectangular space on top of the screen, which also appears to have served as a stage for musicians.
The front side (facing the nave) was clearly designed as an arcade. In the middle was the cross-altar, from which the mass was served to the people in the nave. In the railings of the front side were niches containing sculptural figures, including sculptures of the Twelve Apostles in the round. For this reason, the screen was known as the Apostelgang.
In 1870 the screen was demolished. Remains of the screen, including the sculptures can still be seen in the cathedral treasury.[13]
During the erection of St. Paulus Dom, most of the preceding (Ottonian) cathedral was demolished with only masonry fragments being retained (apparently in the west transept and the southern side-aisle). The westwerk erected in 1192 (the Old Choir and the two west towers) was incorporated into the current structure.
From the perspective of architectural history, the modern cathedral is divided into two parts: the Romanesque westwerk and the Gothic building.
The letters in parentheses in the following section refer to the ground plan below.
Location | Note | Location | Note | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A | North tower | (Petrus-Kapelle) | M | Johannes Choir | (Organ) |
B | Old Choir | (Former west portal) | N | High choir | |
C | South tower | (Katharinen-Kapelle) | O | Maximus-kapelle | (Galensche Kapelle) |
D | Northwest transept | (Access to cloisters) | P | Ludgerus-kapelle | (Galensche Kapelle) |
E | Southwest transept | (Main entrance) | Q | Josephs-kapelle | (Galensche Kapelle) |
F | Paradise | R | Kreuz-kapelle | ||
G | Nave | S | Ambulatory | ||
H | Northern side-aisle | T | Chapter hall | ||
I | Southern side-aisle | U | Cloisters | (Access to cathedral treasury) | |
J | Sakraments-kapelle | (Former sacristry) | V | Domherren-Friedhof | |
K | Stephanus Choir | W | Marien-kapelle | ||
L | Crossing | (Former rood screen) | X | Sacristry | (Access to chapter hall) |
Old Choir
The "Old Choir" (German: Alte Chor) (B) measures 17.6 m from north to south and 16.9 m from east to west (interior measurements: 12.1 x 13.55 m). It was built as a separate structure on the west side of the Ottonian cathedral and was initially separated from that building by the west exterior wall of the transept. This ceased to be the case around 1250 when the third cathedral was built.
Shortly after the end of the Anabaptist rule in the 1530s, the Old Choir was again separated from the rest of the building, by stand-alone walls and iron gratings. These dividers remained until at least 1870. During this time, in the second quarter of the seventeenth century, the Old Choir was the place where the auxiliary bishop conducted confirmation and ordination.
In 1836, the Old Choir was renovated and refurnished thanks to a donation by the Bursars of Landsberg. In this context, a large organ was installed in the Old Choir, as well as iron railings in front of the lower chapels in the two towers, decorated with the dedication "v. Landsberg" in cursive letters. The Old Choir remained a separate room after this. The Landsberg furnishings of the Old Choir were already mostly gone in 1856.
In the course of the restorations after the Second World War, the Old Choir was opened to the west transept completely. The Baroque high altar was installed next to the baptistry with fonts which was already there in the eighteenth century, under the circular rosette window built in the west wall at this time.
The tombs of the bishops are located under the Old Choir. Among others, Johannes Poggenburg, Michael Keller, Heinrich Tenhumberg and Reinhard Lettmann are buried here.[14] For a long time these tombs could only be accessed through an opening in the floor of the Old Choir, but during the restorations of 2011–2012, the tombs were made into a crypt accessible to visitors.
Towers
The two Romanesque west towers appear identical at first sight. The roofs of the towers are shaped like pyramids and clad in copper (since 1725). However, this does not appear to have been their original form. Before the Anabaptist rule in 1534–1535, the spires seem to have been clad in lead and were clearly higher – the Anabaptists threw down the spires, just as they did to the tower of the Überwasserkirche.
Exterior differences
North tower | South tower | |
Length (north–south) | 12.05 m | 11.5 m |
Length (west–east) | 13.6 m | 12.95 m |
Height | 57.7 m | 55.5 m |
Despite their identical external appearance, the towers are clearly different sizes. Compared to the north tower (A), the south tower (C) is somewhat smaller and shorter.
On the other hand, the walls of the lower three stories of the north tower are narrower than those of the south tower. This is clear since the chapel on the ground floor of the south tower is manifestly smaller than the chapel on the ground floor of the north tower. This large difference in the lower levels makes it clear that the respective ground floor chapels are meant to be aligned with the side-aisles. Since their ground plan derives from the second, Ottonian cathedral, adjustments had to be made to the towers in order to incorporate them into the third and current cathedral. To compensate for this obvious asymmetry, they near the same size in their upper portions.
In addition, the two towers are similar in their dimensions. Until the restoration of the north tower after a partial collapse during World War II, the difference in roof level was only 25 centimetres.
Interior
Inside the towers there are two chapels, one on top of the other. The two chapels on the ground floor (already mentioned) are the Katharinenkapelle (south tower) and the Petruskapelle (north tower), which are accessed from the west transept.
The upstairs chapels do not have altars. They are reached by vaulted stone stairs, which lead from the west transept to the corner in the outer walls of the towers. Because of the thickness of the walls of the north tower, the stairs in this tower are completely within the walls. In the south tower they visibly extend into the interior. This form of stair system was a significant and influential model for many Westphalian church buildings.
There are doors in the upper chapels leading to the walkways behind the column galleries of the Old Choir. Above these walkways, the two towers are connected with each other. The stairs lead into rooms above the tower chapels. There are 54-centimetre-wide (21 in) slit windows in their western exterior walls. From this room, wooden stairs and ladders lead up into the top four levels of the two towers. They can be discerned from the outside from their windows and vault structures and begin 18.37 m above the ground. Niches are formed by ashlar lesenes, but they are not identical on each side of the tower. On the west faces there are four niches formed by five lesenes. On the north side of the north tower and the south side of the south tower on both levels there are only four lesenes. On the uppermost levels on both towers are two pointed arches containing pointed windows. On the north tower there are three of these arches one inside the other; on the south tower only two.
North tower
The lower chapel of the north tower is dedicated to St Peter and is 75 cm below the floor level of the west transept and the rest of the cathedral. It was probably home to the treasury chamber from the fourteenth century. For this reason, the access from the west transept was only through two doors – the south door led through a short passage to the chapel itself, while the north door led to the treasury chamber which was probably inside the masonry of the walls.
From the fifteenth century, the north tower was also the armarium, the storage space for the holy scriptures. It retained this function until 1 March 1859, when the cathedral chapter ordered the construction of a dividing wall between the chapel and the transept. From 21 November 1793 until 27 March 1794, the tower held not only the cathedral treasury, but also Cologne cathedral treasury, which was brought to Münster for protection from the French during the War of the First Coalition.
After a decision on 21 December 1870, the baptismal font was moved into the Petruskapelle. Along with this, it was closed off with the Landsberg iron grills, which had previously separated off the organ within the Old Choir.
A special feature of the tower is found high up in the upper chapel. In a small chamber, there is a 0.8 m high and 1.4 m wide gravestone showing a woman in prayer. It was apparently already old before the construction of the Westwerk in 1190, since there was no hesitation at recycling it as building material for the cathedral.
The north tower was badly damaged in the Second World War; the upper two levels were partially destroyed. During the restoration, the aforementioned levels and the roof were rebuilt. At the same time, the interior of the tower was renovated and the Petruskapelle made into the treasury chamber once more. After the completion of the new treasury chamber to the north of the cloisters in 1981, the treasury was moved there.
In the "upper" chapel are the auxiliary works of the main organ.
South tower
Since the beginning of the 17th century, the lower chapel of the south tower, the Katharinenkapelle has contained the "Heilige Grab" (Holy grave). On 31 January 1685 it was decided to convert this into a permanent tomb. To do this, it was necessary to remove the altar and transfer the mass to the primaltar. After the death of the deacon at the time, Johann Rotgar, who had been a leading force in the conversion of the chapel, his two grave stones were placed in the chapel.
From 1935 the room served as a memorial chapel for those "fallen in war and labour" („Gefallenen des Krieges und der Arbeit“) and was equipped with a new altar and altar cross. A restored wrought iron hanger from the 17th century held a commemorative flame, while the room was further decorated with a late gothic table and two stone angels.
After the south tower was burnt in the Second World War, damage to the exterior walls was repaired and both chapels were renovated. Thereafter the Katharinenkapelle served as a baptistry for a long time until it was rearranged with the addition of an altar with the triptych "Piety and Resurrection" ("Pietá und Auferstehung") on 7 November 2003.
Paradise
The "Paradise" (F, German: Paradies) is a two-story forehall or narthex (originally three stories) on the south side of the west transept. It measures 5.83 metres from north to south and 14.92 metres from east to west. On account of the remains of masonry in the transept it is assumed that the narthex of the Ottonian cathedral was in the same location.
The Paradise was originally open to the south, since it was used for the Sendgericht and the Hofgericht courts which the Sachsenspiegel required to be held under an open sky. Court cases were moved to the City Hall after its construction in 1395 and the south wall of the paradise must have been closed up some time after this.
Inside the Paradise, there is a 69-centimetre-high (27 in) bevelled edge running around all four walls. A 21-centimetre-high (8.3 in) frieze of vine tendrils runs around the walls 2.04 metres above the ground. This frieze is decorated with small sculptures of people and animals. The oldest of these is probably the winding dragon at the north end of the east wall. At the east end of the north wall are three sculptures and a corner pillar decorated with ten identical palmettes. Under the window of the east wall are depictions of the seasonal work of each month of the year. on the west part of the north wall, King David is depicted with his musicians; the pillar in the northwest corner of the room shows a rabbit hunt and a grape harvest. Below the window on the west side, was a hexameter concerning Mary Magdalen until the renovation of the cathedral in 1880, when it was replaced by small figures of the builders and stonemasons. At this time it was not unusual for unworked stones to be installed in walls and slowly elaborated into a frieze over a long period of time.
Above the frieze are more-than-life-size stone statues of the twelve apostles, with saints and donors. The current form of these is not the original arrangement. For example, two figures were moved from next to the east window to the right side of the portal in the north wall and a niche in the east wall was filled with a statue of John the Baptist, originally from Metelen. The space between the two doors of the portal in the north wall is decorated with a statue of Jesus Christ as Salvator Mundi. The original composition of the statuary is not clear because of the destruction carried out by the Anabaptists, but it is believed that they reflected a unified plan. Because of their age – the figures were created in the 13th century – not all of them can be clearly identified, since the identification of figures using attributes only became the norm in the Late Gothic period (14th–15th century).
The installation of the figures in niches in the walls has inspired the idea that a different layout was originally intended. The basis of this idea is the fact that the figures are taller than the capitals of the hall's main columns and small columns separating the individual figures are divided at what would have been half their height if they had been the same height as the main columns. Thus, the composition's plan was probably altered during construction and the height of the statues increased in order to make them more prominent.
- Interior of the Paradise narthex with the north portal
- West transept with the paradise narthex
- Detail: Statues in the Paradise
- Detail: Statues in the Paradise
Nave
The nave (G) connects the Westwerk, Old Choir (B), west transept (D and E) and towers (A and C) with the east transept, the altar below the crossing (L) and the choir (N).[15]
Sakramentskapelle
A passage off the north side-aisle leads through a notable seventeenth-century bronze door to the Sakramentskapelle (J).
The Sakramentskapelle was built as an annexe behind the Stephanuschor at the end of the seventeenth or beginning of the eighteenth century. It served as a sacristry at first, then as the treasury chamber from 1930, and finally in 1956 it was consecrated as a chapel.
Only the bronze door remains of the original furnishings. This is a cast bronze door which is 2.1 m high and 1.12 m wide. It was cast by Johann Mauritz Gröninger.[16]
Images
- Glass windows in the northern side aisle, originally from the cloisters of Marienfeld Abbey.
- Censer/Eternal flame (in front of the Sakramentskapelle)
East transept and high choir
The choir area was originally separated from the rest of the cathedral by a rood screen and side barriers, almost a small building within the cathedral building.
This separation is no longer present: under the crossing is the altar island, which protrudes slightly into the nave at the western end. It was (re)designed by the artist Emil Stephan in 1956, along with the choir and the apse, where the bishop's throne is located. The Baroque high altar was removed from the apse. The current high altar is made of sandstone. It supports vitrines, displaying 14th century statues of the apostles from the reliquary-shrine of the old Baroque high altar.
The altar island is next to the choir space and is marked off from the nave by a suspended wooden crucifix (the Triumphal cross) and by the two arms of the east transept.
- View from the Stephanus-Chor (north arm of the east transept)
- View into the northern ambulatory
- Furnishings of the altar and choir space
- View into the choir
- View down the nave towards the choir
- View of the organ in the south arm of the east transept
Choir chapels
Four side chapels branch from the ambulatory, like a crown.
Kreuzkapelle
- The Kreuzkapelle is north of the main apse.
Galen side chapels
These three chapels were built at the order of Prince-Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen from 1663 to supplement the pre-existing Kreuzkapelle. The reason for the construction was a vow made before victory over the city of Münster in 1661. They are known today as the "Galen side-chapels" (Galenschen Seitenkapellen). Most of their decoration was produced by the Prince-Bishop's court artist, Johann Mauritz Gröninger.
- The east side-chapel (on the axis of the main apse) is the Josephs-kapelle. Inside is the tomb of Prince-Bishop Christoph Bernard von Galen.
- South of the main apse is the Ludgerus-Kapelle. Its contents include the memorial of Clemens August Graf von Galen and the Reliquary statue of St Liudger
- The southernmost side chapel is the Maximus-kapelle. It contains a valuable ivory crucifix and the grave of assistant bishop Maximilian Gereon Graf von Galen.
- Portal of Josephskapelle.
- At left, portal of the Ludgeruskapelle; at right, Maximuskapelle.
Cloisters, extensions and Domherrenfriedhof
North of the cathedral are the cloisters (U), which are accessed through doors in the northern arms of the two transepts. These cloisters were built in 1390–1395. From the cloisters, one can access the sacristry (X), the Marienkapelle (W), the new treasury chamber and the Garden hall (V).[17]
Chapter house
The chapter house (T) is accessed from the sacristry (and the choir). The cathedral chapter convenes in this hall, when a new bishop is ordained. In the hall is a dark wooden table with twelve high-backed stools for the members of the chapter. The wood-panelling on the walls resembles that in Friedensaal of the City Hall. The panels display the arms of former capitularies, who were all appointed from the nobility until the beginning of the nineteenth century.[18]
Garden Hall
From the northern cloisters one can access the bishop's Garden hall (Gartensaal), which is also known as the "Kachelzimmer" (Tiled room) or "blau zimmer" (blue room). The hall's walls are decorated with white-blue tiles and until the bombing of the cathedral in 1943 it was part of the bishop's palace. The tiles depict the four elements, the four seasons, the Sun and Moon (or Day and Night), the Apostle Paul and a scene of Jesus "calming the storm" (Matthew 8.24–27). These tiles were installed in the sixteenth century and only about a third of the originals survive; the remaining tiles are artistic restorations.[19]
Domherrenfriedhof
The quadrangle inside the cloisters contains the cemetery of the Domherrs (V, German: Domherrenfriedhof). The cemetery is still in use today. Among the most recent burials were those of auxiliary bishop Josef Voß in 2009, auxiliary bishop Alfons Demming in 2012, cathedral vicar Hans Ossing in 2014 and cathedral provost Josef Alfers in 2022.
In the center of the cemetery is a lantern of the dead created in the middle of the 16th century, presumably by a sculptor from Münster. The figure of the death on its top was renewed in 1929. In 1985, the lantern was replaced by a copy.[20]
Measurements and statistics
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