Borghorster Abbey Cross
The Borghorster Stiftskreuz is a golden reliquary cross from the 11th century that was part of the church treasury of the Borghorst Monastery . It is considered to be one of the most important Ottonian goldsmith's work that has been preserved in Westphalia .
description
The cross consists of a wooden core that is covered with gold on the front and copper on the back . The total height is 41.1 cm, the width 24.4 cm, the bars are 3.2 cm wide. Three rock crystals , including two Fatimid vials from the 10th century, are embedded in the longitudinal beam as reliquary containers that are visible from both sides. The front is set with precious stones , including some antique gems , fine filigree and embossed reliefs . The reliefs show the crucifixion in the upper trunk of the cross above the ampoule with the main relics . To the right and left of it on the crossbar are reliefs of Saints Peter, Paul, Cosmas and Damian . Under the central reliquary on the trunk of the cross, a half-figure is depicted, which shows a crowned ruler who has raised his hands in supplication and two angels are floating towards him from above . The ruler is identified as emperor by means of a legend HEINRICUS IPR, which can be resolved as Heinricus imperator.
The back is designed more simply. An inscription is engraved on it, which lists the relics it contains and asks the saints gathered as relics for assistance for the abbess and all who have done good for the cross. Under the crystal bottle with the main relics is engraved the figure of a praying abbess who is blessed by the hand of God. The inscription BERTHA ABBA allows identification with the third abbess of the Borghorst monastery.
Art historical research
The dating of the cross results from the identification of the depicted abbess Berta and the depiction of an emperor named Heinrich. The trunk of the cross was the usual place for the donor portrait , the representation of Heinrich is attached in a similar place as the donor pictures of the two Essen Mathildenkreuzes, the Regensburg Gisela cross or the seal stone Lothar on the Aachen Lotharkreuz . While older research assumed that the emperor, referred to only as Henrici, was Heinrich II , a sponsor of the Borghorst monastery, and that the time of origin was between 1014 and 1024, the time of origin is now set to around 1050, so that Heinrich III. Donated cross and relics. It is possible that the cross was created as a foundation for atonement by Heinrich, who in 1048 got into a serious conflict with the Billungers who founded Borghorst. In the course of this conflict the Billunger Count Thietmar was killed, the Billunger lost their influence on Borghorst.
The cross was made in Essen , probably in the goldsmith's workshop of the Essen abbess Theophanu , as demonstrated by analysis of pollen found in the beeswax between the wooden core and gold sheets. Essen is also indicated by the depiction of the Essen pen cartridges Cosmas and Damian on the obverse of the cross.
Property history, theft and recovery
The collegiate cross was one of the most valuable possessions of the Borghorst monastery and after the abolition of the monastery remained in the possession of the Catholic parish church of St. Nicomedes in Borghorst , where it was exhibited in a showcase in the church from March 22, 2008.
The collegiate cross could be seen at numerous exhibitions of medieval art - this is how it was for the 2005 exhibition “Church Treasures. 1200 year diocese of Münster. ”In Münster, 2006 for the exhibition“ Canossa 1077. Shaking the world. History, Art and Culture at the Rise of the Romanesque ”to Paderborn and in 2011 for the exhibition Treasures of Heaven to the British Museum in London. The last time it was in 2012 was for the exhibition “Golden Splendor. Medieval Treasure Art in Westphalia ”in Münster.
On October 29, 2013 at 1:24 p.m., the collegiate cross was stolen from the showcase in the Nikomedeskirche in Borghorst. After the investigation of three suspects on November 19, 2013, the Münster public prosecutor brought charges against three men from Bremen on March 3, 2015. You were sentenced to long prison terms in October 2015. On September 21, 2016, the suspected mastermind behind the theft was also arrested. On February 16, 2017 it was announced that the precious cross had been secured two days earlier. During the trial of the alleged mastermind in March 2017, it became known that Provinzial Rheinland from Düsseldorf had handed over 100,000 euros to a middleman for the replacement. Originally, the intention was not to make the payment public so as not to encourage imitators to do similar things. As soon as the presentation and security concept agreed at the end of 2018 has been implemented, the collegiate cross will be shown again in the Nicomedes Church.
literature
- Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments, North Rhine-Westphalia . Volume 2, Westphalia, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1969, p. 71.
- Gerd Althoff : Reliquary cross from the Borghorst monastery In: Golden splendor. Medieval treasure art in Westphalia , catalog of the exhibition Münster 2012, Hirmer Verlag, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-7774-5041-4
Remarks
- ^ Georg Dehio : Handbook of German Art Monuments, North Rhine-Westphalia . Volume 2, Westphalia, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1969, p. 71.
- ↑ Gerd Althoff : Reliquary Cross from the Borghorst Abbey In: Golden Splendor. Medieval treasure art in Westphalia , catalog of the exhibition Münster 2012, p. 150.
- ^ A b Axel Roll: "Interplay of heaven and earth" - Chronicle . Ed .: Westfälische Nachrichten. No. 42 , 2017, p. RWF01 .
- ↑ Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung ; Westphalian news .
- ^ WN of October 13, 2015.
- ^ WN of September 21, 2016.
- ↑ Axel Roll: "Interplay of Heaven and Earth". The Borghorster Stiftskreuz is back. In: Westfälische Nachrichten. February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017 .
- ↑ Westfälische Nachrichten of March 23, 2017: Borghorster Stiftskreuz Deal: “Didn't know about payment” .
- ↑ Michael Bönte: The Borghorster Stiftskreuz returns - plan is available . In: Kirche + Leben , January 6, 2019, p. 14.