Epiphany shrine

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The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral is a reliquary made as a goldsmith's work and dating from the end of the 12th century . It is used to store bones that Archbishop Rainald von Dassel brought to Cologne in 1164 and that are venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as the relics of the Three Kings . In addition, the shrine contains the remains of Gregory of Spoleto and other parts that can no longer be assigned, but have long been attributed to Saints Felix and Nabor , to whom a Gothic window in the Michael's chapel is dedicated.

The shrine, which was made between 1190 and 1225 by the goldsmith Nikolaus von Verdun , is considered the largest and most artistically sophisticated reliquary that has survived from the Middle Ages. It is built on two floors in the form of a basilica and is decorated with golden figures, gemstone jewelry , gems , cameos and enamel , which illustrate the Christian history of salvation from the beginnings of the Old Testament to the Last Judgment .

The shrine was initially set up in the Carolingian Hildebold Cathedral ; The relics and their precious container - not least because of the rising streams of pilgrims - may have contributed to the decision to build a new, Gothic cathedral from 1248 onwards. The shrine had different locations within the Gothic cathedral; It has taken its current central position behind the high altar since 1948.

Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral

History and context

Relics

There is no reliable knowledge about the origin of the Three Kings relics and their veneration. According to tradition, St. Helena , the mother of Emperor Constantine, traveled from Constantinople to Palestine around the year 326, found the relics there and took them for her.

A vita of the Milanese bishop Eustorgius I (343-349) from the 12th century reports that the bones were transferred from Constantinople to Milan by him at the beginning of the 4th century, but there are no older sources for this. An early veneration of the three wise men as saints is not documented and also rather implausible, since the veneration of saints at that time concentrated on martyrs . It was only later that confessors were venerated . For example, the church father, Ambrosius, reported about Eustorgius and mentioned Nabor and Felix, but not the relics of the Three Kings.

Original burial place of the Three Kings in the Church of Sant'Eustorgio in Milan

In Milan, the bones were kept in a 3rd century sarcophagus in the Church of St. Eustorgio outside the city until 1158. When the siege of Milan by Friedrich Barbarossa threatened, the relics in the bell tower of the church of San Giorgio al Palazzo were brought into (temporary) safety within the city walls. They stayed there until Friedrich Barbarossa gave them as a gift to his close adviser, Archbishop Rainald von Dassel , after the city was destroyed at the end of March 1162 .

Situation in Cologne

The Hildebold Cathedral in Cologne - the predecessor of the Gothic cathedral - had already been furnished with valuable relics, for example the St. Peter's rod , then the St. Peter's chains, with which, according to tradition, the apostle was tied up in the dungeon, as well as a reliquary of St. New Years Eve .

Rainald von Dassel, on the other hand, as Archbishop of Cologne was one of the electors of the German king and also a close advisor to Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa with great influence on European imperial politics. As Arch Chancellor of Italy , he was instrumental in the Italian march , the successful conquest of Milan and the politics of the papacy. The relics were considered to be those of the first Christian kings who worshiped Jesus as the "King of kings"; the three men had thus become an example of secular kingship. The possession of their bones gave Rainald supreme political power by strengthening his claim to the coronation of the German kings. The actual coronation ceremony of the kings took place in Aachen Cathedral (Cologne church province) since the beginning of the 11th century ; the relics also brought Rainald into the symbolic "possession" of secular royalty.

History and locations of the shrine

In the old cathedral

Friedrich Barbarossa gave the relics to the Archbishop of Cologne on June 9, 1164, and he set out for Cologne from Vercelli near Milan. For security reasons he chose the route via "Burgundy and the Gallic Provinces", Vienne was a documented stay ; the further route could have led through Champagne and Flanders , but is no longer verifiable.

On July 23, 1164 he reached Cologne, where the relics were solemnly placed “in the middle of the cathedral”. The exact location and the form of the presentation are not known. Rainald von Dassel's successor in the episcopate, Philipp von Heinsberg, commissioned Nikolaus von Verdun to create a shrine for the valuable relics. However, he himself did not live to see the completion, but placed the bones in the new container before his death. Work on the reliquary was not completed until 1225.

The Shrine of the Three Kings was presumably placed in the center of the nave of the old cathedral, shifted slightly to the east on the central axis. The relics attracted numerous believers, but the old cathedral was only suitable to a limited extent for the passage of large crowds; In addition, the building no longer lived up to its meaning as a “container” for these relics and their shrine.

In the Gothic cathedral

Shrine with red and gold protective grille, depiction from 1633
Approx. The shrine was preserved in a marble mausoleum from 1668/90 to 1889 (Johannes Vogel, 1780)

When planning the new building, the center of the crossing, i.e. exactly at the intersection of the nave and the transept, was planned as the place for the shrine - according to the art historian Rolf Lauer,  an extremely unusual location for such a shrine. This not only had practical reasons, but also used the symbolic power of the relics to underpin the claim to coronation - the Cologne cathedral would have become the “royal cathedral”.

However, as the construction progress on the new cathedral was delayed, the plans for erection were changed. When the cathedral choir was consecrated in 1322, but the rest of the cathedral was not completed (the old cathedral burned down shortly after the foundation stone was laid), the shrine was placed in the central axis chapel in the east of the ambulatory. The pilgrims were now led in at the south portal, moved counter-clockwise along the chapel wreath through the ambulatory, past the Shrine of the Three Kings, and also the Gero cross in the cross chapel, and left the cathedral through the north portal. The shrine was provided with a red and gold grille to protect it.

In the second half of the 17th century, the cathedral choir underwent extensive baroque refurbishment. The Shrine of the Three Kings was surrounded by a monumental marble mausoleum between 1668 and 1690, so that it was only visible through a lattice window at the front.

Outsourcing during the French occupation

Shortly before the French invasion in 1794, the shrine and relics as well as other parts of the cathedral treasure were brought to safety in the Premonstratensian Abbey of Wedinghausen in the Sauerland. The relics themselves remained there until the end of 1803, but the cathedral treasure with the shrine was distributed to different locations, including the Free City of Frankfurt . After the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss , Arnsberg and the Sauerland in the Electorate of Cologne fell to Hessen-Darmstadt in 1803 , whose Landgrave Ludwig X claimed the church property in his area, so it took some effort to return relics, cathedral treasures and shrines from the right bank of the Rhine back to Cologne to get.

Cologne on the left bank of the Rhine was still occupied by the French during this time, but the Concordat with Napoleon had been in force since 1801 , so that a safe return of the relics was possible from this side. Until then they had been kept in the high altar of the Arnsberg Abbey, and the Landgrave of Hesse had been convinced to return the relics. At the beginning of December 1803 the wooden reliquary box was unsealed, opened and its contents checked to ensure that no material goods were brought to Cologne. The bones were then transported to Deutz on the right bank of the Rhine to the house chapel of the abbey there . Only on January 4th of the next year did the relics reach Cologne again - still without the shrine - and were ceremoniously brought back to the cathedral on January 6th, 1804 (Epiphany - festival of the three kings).

Among others, the Frankfurt cathedral scholaster Franz Anton Molinari and the French resident Jean Pierre Hirsinger campaigned for the return of the shrine from Frankfurt to Cologne - here too, one had to counter the claims of the Hessian-Darmstadt landgrave. The shrine was badly damaged and brought back to Cologne in June 1803 and was initially confiscated by the French occupation authorities. In March 1804 the authorities allowed it to be returned to the cathedral, where it was only able to take its place in the axial chapel after extensive restoration work in 1808.

Another restoration took place after massive damage from a theft in 1820, in which figures and stones were torn from the front; this restoration was completed in 1822 and the shrine was back in place.

Opening and examination of the shrine

On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the transfer of the relics, which was celebrated on July 23, 1864 with a great jubilee celebration with an octave , the shrine was opened and examined two days beforehand. The detailed record of this last known examination of the contents, at which 35 witnesses were present, has been preserved. The relics were then wrapped in 18 silk bundles and placed in a new reliquary drawer, with some textile fragments and probably a few pieces of the bones removed, which are now in a box in the cathedral treasury. The skulls of the king's relics were placed on the “headboard”, and the ark was locked and sealed.

The ancient reliquary box inside the shrine was reported to be 3.5 feet long, 22 inches wide, and about 1 foot high (about 1.10 m long, 0.55 m wide, and 0.30 m high) according to the protocol. When the sliding cover was removed, two “length sections and at the end of the same three smaller sections” were recognized. One of these length sections and the three smaller compartments were covered with wadding and the other longer section with tow .

During the investigation, various bones were found in the towed section of the ark, which were assigned to Saint Gregory of Spoleto, on the one hand on the basis of a strip of parchment with the inscription: sct Gregorii. prb et mr , on the other hand by fitting the found lower jaw into a skull relic of the saint outside the shrine; which was "recognized by medical experts [...] as belonging".

A second part of the record notes a collection of unlabeled bones from at least two unassociated people in the same section of the drawer. In view of the large number of bones in Milan, which are also said to be remains of Saints Nabor and Felix, and the fact that the bones in Cologne and Milan do not complement each other, a specific assignment is not possible. Walter Schulten suspected in 1981 in a work on the subject that Rainald von Dassel had only brought small particles of the bones of these saints to Cologne, which were then considered “as a whole” in the veneration of saints.

The three heads assigned to the kings were kept outside the shrine in the sacristy; they are described as three male skulls of different ages. Matching lower jaws were found in the second section of the ark. Separated by cotton wool, the bones of three different men could still be made out, as well as a multitude of smaller bones, such as the tarsus and carpal bones, vertebrae, partly broken ribs and others. The log also records individual bones from an infant. It is possible, but unproven, that these came in when the shrine was relocated at the end of the 18th century; There was a reliquary of the " Innocent Children " in the cathedral , which was probably melted down around 1800.

When examining the remains of material that often covered the bones very tightly, the present Canon Franz Bock stated that they were “messianic in age”. A dating between the 2nd and 4th centuries and an identification as Syrian block damasks were confirmed in the 1980s by various studies, including by Daniel de Jonghe .

19th century and completion of the cathedral

The front of the baroque mausoleum, since 1920 an altar wall in the north transept, since 1963 an altar for the ornamented Madonna

The middle and the end of the 19th century were characterized on the one hand by secularization , on the other hand by the planning of the further construction and completion of the cathedral. Since around 1840, this was accompanied by a phase of “de-Baroqueization” and “regotization”, to which many of the baroque furnishings from the 17th century fell victim - they were torn down or removed. On the occasion of the 700th anniversary, the Shrine of the Three Kings was cleaned and exhibited during the festival week in the choir of the Gothic cathedral, which had already been completed inside. After that, however, it was permanently transferred to the cathedral treasury and lost its liturgical function. The mausoleum was also dismantled in 1889/90. Plans for a new installation in the north tower were not implemented. It was not until 1920 that the front of the baroque mausoleum was installed in the north transept adjacent to the treasury, so that on high holidays, the lattice allows a view of the shrine from the inside of the cathedral into the treasury.

Another episode from this time is the return of some smaller bones or particles of the relics to the Archbishop Ferrari of Milan , for which Cologne in return a chasuble from St. Charles Borromeo received.

First half of the 20th century

At the end of the First World War in 1918, the shrine, like the entire cathedral treasury and other church treasures, was relocated to the right bank of the Rhine.

The three kings shrine was relocated from May to August 1925, when it was exhibited in the new exhibition halls in Cologne-Deutz during the Millennium Exhibition of the Rhineland .

In the 1930s, Cologne Cathedral was of great importance as a national cultural asset for the National Socialists as well. In connection with the new Air Protection Act of 1935, the Dombauhütte became a member of the Reich Air Protection Association as part of civil air protection ; their employees were able to secure the cathedral at an early stage. As early as 1936 - roughly parallel to the remilitarization of the Rhineland - the Metropolitan Chapter also took the first measures to secure the cathedral treasure. Made-to-measure boxes and packaging material were prepared and an underground chamber prepared accordingly for the reception. When the war broke out, this chamber was available for the most valuable items.

In May 1942 Cologne experienced the so-called thousand-bomber attack , the heaviest British air raid on the city to date as part of Operation Millennium . In addition to other art protection measures, the cathedral chapter then decided to relocate the three kings shrine and the altar of the city patron ("cathedral image") to Pommersfelden in Schloss Weißenstein , where they were relatively well protected for more than two years. In September 1944, Pommersfelden was no longer considered safe enough; an odyssey through the destroyed Germany began for the shrine: Fulda , initially selected as a place of refuge, was bombed out when the transport was already on its way. They immediately moved on to Siegen , where, however, the door of the bunker turned out to be too small for the shrine and cathedral image, so that the transport returned to Cologne on September 19, 1944 - the shrine was placed in the bunker below the sacristy , where it was Remained at the end of the war.

Shrine of the Epiphany at the current location in a showcase behind the altar

For the 700th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Gothic cathedral in 1948, the shrine was provisionally put together and brought back to the cathedral, where it has since taken its central position in the central axis behind the high altar - interrupted by several phases of restoration.

In 1948, the shrine was also given a showcase to protect it from direct access, which was renewed for the first time in 1965. As it no longer met the requirements for security and lighting over the years, it was replaced in 2004 by a modern showcase designed by Ingrid Bussenius . Since then, the shrine can also be undercut during processions, as requested by the cathedral chapter.

Form and image program

The shrine is the largest preserved medieval shrine: it is 110 cm wide, 153 cm high, 220 cm long and weighs 500 kg. It consists of a renewed oak core (the original substructure is in the treasury of the cathedral), gold, gold-plated silver and copper. The walls stand on a double floor plate and are surrounded all around by coupled enamel columns in front of brown varnish grounds.

The structure of the shrine is often described as "basilical", like a church with three naves and seven bays. Despite this association, the shape is probably not originally intended as an image of a church, but two reliquary shrines stand next to each other, on whose roof ridge a third shrine rests. This is still clear today when you look at the back. This multi-storey form is unique among all surviving Romanesque reliquary shrines in the Rhine-Maas area.

Long sides

David side
Solomon side, partial view

The image program on the long sides of the shrine is divided vertically into four levels: the respective lower side parts, the roof surfaces above, the sides of the upper floor, and the roof surface of the upper floor. They correspond to the chronology of Christian salvation history : In the lower row of the long sides sit six prophets of the Old Testament on each side, in the middle as the seventh figure the kings Solomon and David . Therefore, when describing the long sides, one speaks of the Salomon (“left” or “ heraldic right ”) or David side (“right” or “ heraldic left ”). Salomon is accompanied (from left to right) by Ezekiel , Habakkuk , the high priest Aaron as well as Joel , Nahum and Amos , David by Daniel , Joachim, Jeremiah as well as Obadja , Jonah and Mose . The figures are each framed by arcades of columns on which originally small cast sculptures were sitting, which embodied the Christian virtues (Solomon side: generosity, mildness, caution, mercy, goodness, wisdom, unity, purity. David side: thrift, chastity, long-suffering, humility, Obedience, temperance and peace. ) These sculptures are now attached to the columned arcades on the upper floor.

The lateral roof surfaces of the first floor originally showed scenes from the life of Christ in nine round medallions each, which have not been preserved, but can be understood through historical images.

The vertical sides of the upper floor each show six seated apostles, in the middle of which a seraph or cherub is placed. The apostles hold sculptural models of architecture in their hands that symbolize their bishopric or the local churches they founded. On the Solomon's side is the seraph, surrounded by Peter , Andrew , James the Younger , John , Judas Thaddäus and Thomas , on the David side there is a cherub with Paul , Matthew , Bartholomew , James the Elder , Simon and Philip .

The upper sloping roof surfaces form the end of the long sides and contain depictions of the Apocalypse of John , Judgment Day and “all kinds of symbols aimed at the future resurrection of the flesh”. They too were lost after the 1794 relocation.

front

Front of the shrine with inserted trapezoidal plate
Front with removed trapezoidal plate.

The front or front side was probably originally structured similarly to the rear, so that the structure of the shrine was recognizable as a triple sarcophagus. Around 1200, however, a removable trapezoidal panel was inserted between the ground floor and first floor; if it is opened, the skulls of the saints become visible behind an ornate grille on the so-called “headboard”. Today the plate is only removed on January 6th, the solemn festival of the Epiphany , and on special occasions.

The ground floor of the front is divided by three arcades. In the middle, Mary , the Mother of God , is enthroned with the baby Jesus, to whom the three wise men approach from the left in adoration. Behind them follows another figure, the fourth one showing King Otto IV , who donated three golden crowns for the three reliquary skulls in 1200. These were melted down in 1803. The right side of the Madonna scene shows the baptism of Jesus . The art historian Rolf Lauer points out that this compilation continues on the one hand the scenes from the life of Christ on the sloping roofs of the long sides, on the other hand the baptism of Christ and Epiphany in earlier times were celebrated on the same day - January 6th. The theme of the coronation is also emphasized again by depicting baptism as a symbol of the anointing of the king - on an equal footing with the adoration of the kings.

The scenes on the ground floor are supplemented by a group of figures on the upper floor above the trapezoidal slab: Christ as the judge of the world is flanked in an arched arcade by two angels who hold the crown or chalice and host bowl in their hands - as symbols of Jesus' king and priesthood. The archangels Gabriel , Michael and Raphael were originally shown above ; Gabriel and Raphael are preserved; Michael was replaced by a topaz in 1684.

Central element on the reverse: bust of Rainald von Dassels

back

The back of the shrine shows the flagellation of Christ on the lower floor under clover-leaf arcades under the left pediment , and on the right a crucifixion scene with Mary and the apostle John . Here the Christ cycle on the side walls is continued again. Between the two scenes there is the figure of the prophet Jeremias or Isaiah (inscribed Jeremias, but the text on the scroll is from Isaiah).

Above the flagellation of the personification are in circular recesses in the middle of patience as virtue ( Patientia ) and two mourning Engel mounted at the corresponding location on the crucifixion a respective sun and moon symbol and an angel with the Kreuztitulus INRI . On the upper gable wall, the standing, crowned Christ hands the martyrs crown to the two martyrs Felix of Africa and Nabor . The scene is supplemented in the gable above by three half-figures of the virtues faith, love and hope .

The three-dimensional half-figure of a bishop with miter is inserted in the central triangular field between the ground floor and the end gable. It depicts Rainald von Dassel as a " translator ", that is, the bearer of the relics.

History of origin, restoration and loss

Dating, artist and creation

No documents or sources have survived that give references to the artist or artists who created the shrine. In the course of the research history, there have been different views on the history of origin and authorship of individual elements. Erika Zwierlein-Diehl and Rolf Lauer summarized the research status in 2002 and 2006 as follows:

Due to the variety of the different techniques that were used at the Three Kings Shrine and the clear stylistic differences, it can be assumed that not a single artist, but several specialized workshops were active. According to Rolf Lauer, however, the complex image program, which goes far beyond local traditions for reliquary shrines, points to a cathedral theologian as the author, "who was thoroughly aware of the importance of relics in rulers' theology"

Two documents from the 13th century can safely prove that Archbishop Philipp von Heinsberg placed the relics in the shrine. This was possible at the latest in 1191, the year of his death, so that the shrine should have been in an advanced stage by that time. For the earliest possible start, the assumed authorship of Nikolaus von Verdun as one of the most important artists of the shrine is used: his signature can be used to prove that he had worked in Klosterneuburg in 1181, i.e. that he could only have started work in Cologne afterwards . By 1205 at the latest, the artist can already be found at the Marienschrein in Tournai , which closes the time window of his possible presence in Cologne. Based on a style comparison with the Klosterneuburg Altar , which Otto von Falke made for the first time between prophetic sculptures in Cologne and enamel paintings in Klosterneuburg in 1905, the artistic work of Nicholas at the Shrine of the Three Kings is considered certain. Further evidence that Nikolaus von Verdun was in Cologne at this time is provided by the Anno Shrine in nearby Siegburg from 1183, which is also partly attributed to him, as well as the fact that identical stamps were used on the Klosterneuburg Altar, the Three Kings Shrine and the Virgin Mary Shrine .

For the year 1200, the foundation is documented by three golden crowns that Otto IV donated for the three heads in the shrine. In order to make this visible to the viewer, the removable trapezoidal plate on the front was necessary; in addition, this is likely to have been caused by the fourth king figure - as a donor figure - on the ground floor of the front. At this point, the findings on the further artistic approach at the shrine are ambiguous. In the post-war period, Joseph Hoster assumed that, due to the foundation of the crowns, there had been a change in plan for the structure of the front, so that it had a structure that was different from the rear, and that the figures on the front came from different workshops. He also suspected another Otto foundation (precious stones and gold from Byzantium) around 1204. Hugo Stehkämper contradicted this view in part in 1982, as he saw the three crowns as the culmination of King Otto's foundations. In 1985 Renate Kroos could also imagine that the front page was finished first and the other pages later. In 2006, in a style comparison between the robes and heads of the front figures, Rolf Lauer distanced himself from the idea that the most important figures were created in different workshops. He estimates the filigree elements on the reverse to be around 1220 at the earliest, but sees great problems in the exact dating of the reverse.

More early evidence

Henry VII and his wife worshiping the relics, miniature around 1340 (detail)

Further evidence of the shrine can be found at the beginning of 1309, when Henry VII came to Cologne to worship saints after his coronation as emperor. This event was illustrated by a miniature from 1340, but with the emphasis on the people, not the shrine. In 1322 the shrine was placed in the axial chapel of the new Gothic cathedral choir, which was consecrated later that year by Archbishop Heinrich II of Virneburg . It is believed that the red lattice border that protected the shrine and is documented by a picture from 1633 was already attached at this time. A first approximately accurate representation of the shrine is preserved on the choir screen paintings of the cathedral from 1332 to 1349.

In the illustration from 1633, another event is documented, which aroused the spirits in 1434 and promoted the creation of legends: A large stone - the piece of a pinnacle - fell through the roof of the cathedral into the chapel and just missed the shrine, which soon became known as Miracle was rumored. As a security measure, the shrine was then kept in the sacristy for six weeks.

Theft in 1574 and repairs

Stolen Ptolemaic cameo , now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna

A decisive event in the history of the Three Kings Shrine was the theft on January 28, 1574, during which a large cameo, the so-called Ptolemaic cameo, was stolen, as a central gem in the middle of the removable trapezoidal plate on the front of the shrine had been placed. The event was also described by Hermann Weinsberg in his citizen chronicle. The perpetrator was never caught and the cameo was considered lost for centuries. It was not until 1952 that Joseph Hoster and Eduard Neuffer realized that a cameo from around 278 BC now on display in the Vienna Museum of Art History . Is identical to the stone stolen in Cologne. For thirteen years after the incident, it can be traced back to the collection of Duke Gonzaga of Mantua . When Mantua was defeated and sacked by imperial troops during the War of Succession in 1630 , it came into the possession of Franz Albrecht of Saxony . In 1668/69 an English traveler described the cameo in the imperial collection in Vienna.

Johannes Walschartz, who was responsible for guarding the shrine during the theft, bequeathed a sum of money in his will in 1597 to restore the damage, whereupon the trapezoidal plate was equipped with the citrine , which is still available today, as a replacement for the cameo. Further repairs during this period - the first major restoration work on the shrine - are likely, but not proven.

Restorations in the 18th century

Detail of the pilgrim's sheet from 1671

The shrine received its baroque marble mausoleum ( see above ) in the 17th century , and some unspecified repair work is documented. Larger work on the front side was carried out in 1749/50 by the cathedral goldsmith Johann Rohr. In order to assess what work was carried out during this time, one usually compares a picture of the shrine on the so-called “Schonemannblatt”, a printed pilgrim's sheet from 1671, with the detailed catalog by JPNM Vogel under the title Collection of the magnificent precious stones with which the box of the three holy wise kings in the high ore cathedral church in Cologne.

During the restoration by Rohr, three smaller crowns, which were still on the front between the spandrels of the cloverleaf arches on the ground floor in 1671, were replaced by gems or cameos and further new elements were moved or added from other places. Vogel has 266 gems cataloged.

Losses due to outsourcing during the French period

During the relocation from 1794 to 1803, the shrine (like the entire cathedral treasure) was dismantled and put into boxes; only some of the treasures returned to Cologne in eleven boxes in 1803. The three medieval crowns of the headboard had meanwhile been kept in Prague, but were melted down together with other precious metal parts from the cathedral in the Darmstadt mint in 1803. Also, distress sales had contributed to their losses. An unclear number of gems was missing , according to Zwierlein-Diehl a maximum of 70, but of all things all that were described as “rare” in Vogel's catalog and some particularly large and high-quality stones. ("[One] gets [...] the impression that the losses may not have come about entirely by chance")

The restoration work of the shrine that followed in 1807 by goldsmith Wilhelm Pullack and his sons was headed by art collector and theologian Ferdinand Franz Wallraf . The measures were financed by donations in kind and money from the Cologne bourgeoisie as well as a larger amount from the French Empress Joséphine . Nevertheless, in view of the dramatic losses (“de ruinis”), a drastic measure was decided: The shrine was shortened by a whole side yoke so that the remaining fittings were sufficient for the restoration. Lateral figures of apostles and figures of apostles and prophets were interchanged, the roofs above were completely renewed, while the frames on the lower roof surfaces were reused. Three of the seated apostle figures and the figure of the cherub from the long side were lost. The missing Christ cycle on the lower pitched roofs was replaced by a painted typological cycle of the Three Kings by Benedikt Beckenkamp (mostly in literature as J. Beckenkamp).

The relics were put back in the restored shrine in January 1807, which was given its old place in the axis chapel. After a criminal incident in 1820, in which numerous pieces of the front were stolen, there was another restoration by Wilhelm Pullack, after which the shrine was again in the axis chapel in 1822. The stolen items were badly damaged, but were found (and the thief arrested) shortly after the theft.

On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the transfer of the relics in 1864, not only was the shrine opened and the relics examined, but the shrine itself was also dismantled and cleaned by the goldsmith Gabriel Hermeling. The shrine then stood in the cathedral treasury until 1920.

Condition and restoration after the Second World War

On special occasions such as the 850th anniversary of the transfer of the bones, believers can walk under the shrine.

To celebrate the anniversary of the cathedral in 1948, the shrine was only temporarily put together after returning from the evacuation. Under the direction of Joseph Hoster , the metropolitan chapter planned a comprehensive restoration. The planning, in which Hoster prevailed not only to restore the pre-war state, but also to restore it to the original state before the cut, dragged on until 1961. During this time, the condition was documented, the gems were inventoried and the necessary funds for the work were collected. A total of 152 gems were acquired to replace lost pieces.

From 1961 to 1973 the shrine was restored and supplemented by goldsmiths Fritz Zehgruber, Peter Bolg and Elisabeth Treskow . For this purpose, the shrine was completely dismantled. A new wooden core was made and the fittings - approx. 1500 parts - rearranged. In addition, the base, four figures, the four roof surfaces as well as numerous enamels and filigree were newly created. For this purpose, Hoster had already bought over 2.5 kg of fine gold, 4.4 kg of fine silver, more than 700 pearls , 230 precious stones , 100 gems and cameos in the 1950s (inventory in 1964: 9 kg of fine gold, 15 kg of silver). Some of the original fittings in museums around the world could be recovered in exchange for an exchange and were then reinstalled in their places.

See also

Portal: Cologne Cathedral  - Overview of Wikipedia content on the subject of Cologne Cathedral

literature

Historical descriptions

  • JPNM Vogel: Collection of the magnificent precious stones with which the case of the three Holy Wise Kings in the high ore cathedral church in Cologne is decorated . Bonn 1781 ( digitized version ).
  • Heinrich Joseph Floss: Book of three kings. The transfer of the hh. Epiphany from Milan to Cologne . Cologne 1864 ( digitized version ).

Exhibition catalogs

  • The Master of the Epiphany Shrine. Exhibition in the Archbishop's Diocesan Museum in Cologne, July 11th - August 23rd, 1964. Cologne 1964.
  • Kölner Domblatt 23/24, 1964: Eight hundred years of devotion to the Magi in Cologne

Scientific papers and essays

  • Dorothee Kemper: The goldsmith's work on the Shrine of the Three Kings. Inventory and history of its restorations in the 19th and 20th centuries Volume 1: Text contributions, Volume 2: Image documentation, Volume 3: Catalog and appendix (= Studies on the Cologne Cathedral , Volume 11). Cologne Cathedral Publishing House, Cologne 2014, ISBN 978-3-922442-78-3 .
  • Dietrich Kötzsche: Fragments from the Shrine of the Three Kings - Where have they gone? in: Kölner Domblatt 74, 2009
  • Rolf Lauer , The Shrine of the Three Kings. Cologne 2006, ISBN 978-3-922442-53-0 .
  • Dietrich Kötzsche : Another relief from the Shrine of the Three Kings? in: Kölner Domblatt 69, 2004
  • Dietrich Kötzsche: Engraved sketches at the Shrine of the Three Kings in: Kölner Domblatt 67, 2002
  • Erika Zwierlein-Diehl : The gems and cameos of the Dreikönigenschreines (= studies on the Cologne cathedral, volume 5). Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-922442-25-0 .
  • The Magi - representation and worship. Catalog for the exhibition of the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in the Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle, Cologne. December 1, 1982 to January 30, 1983. Cologne 1992
  • Walter Schulten : The restoration of the Three Kings Shrine. A preliminary report for the years 1961–1971 in: Kölner Domblatt 33/34, 1991
  • Rolf Lauer: Dreikönigenschrein in: Anton Legner : Ornamenta Ecclesiae, Art and Artists of the Romanesque in Cologne, Vol. 2, Cologne 1985, pp. 215–226
  • Walter Schulten: Cologne relics. The bones of the three kings; in: Anton Legner : Ornamenta Ecclesiae. Romanesque Art and Artists in Cologne, Vol. 2, Cologne 1985, pp. 71–75.
  • Peter Cornelius Claussen: On the style of the sculpture on the Shrine of the Three Kings. Reception and reflections in: Kölner Domblatt 42, 1977
  • Hans-Peter Diemer: On the display program of the Dreikönigenschreins in: Kölner Domblatt 41, 1976
  • Walter Schulten: The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral . Cologne 1975
  • Richard Hamann-Mac Lean : The Epiphany Shrine in Cologne Cathedral. Comment on the reconstruction, divorce of hands and apostolic iconography in: Kölner Domblatt 33/34, 1971

Special topics

  • Herbert Rode : The lost Christ cycle at the Shrine of the Three Kings. Attempted reconstruction and analysis in: Kölner Domblatt 30, 1969, in: Kölner Domblatt 33/34, 1971
  • Walter Schulten: The sense of restoring the Epiphany Shrine. From the speech on January 5, 1974 in Cologne Cathedral at the end of the renovation in: Kölner Domblatt 38/39, 1974
  • Klaus Weyand: JPNM Vogel's book on the Shrine of the Three Kings from 1781 and three contemporary manuscripts in: Kölner Domblatt 50, 1985 (part 1) and Kölner Domblatt 52, 1987 (part 2)
  • Jürgen Petersohn : The king without a crown and coat. Political and cultural-historical background of the depiction of Otto IV on Cologne's Dreikönigsschrein. In the S. (Ed.): Tradition - piety - education as key themes in historical research. Lectures at the Scientific Colloquium on the occasion of Otto Meyer's eightieth birthday, Würzburg, October 25, 1986. Reichert, Wiesbaden 1987, ISBN 3-88226-387-3 , pp. 54–82.
  • Genevra Kornbluth: A Carolingian cameo at the Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral in: Kölner Domblatt 62, 1997
  • Ingo Matthias Demel: The baroque Three Kings mausoleum in Cologne Cathedral. in: Kölner Domblatt 68, 2004, pp. 209–290
  • Barbara Schock-Werner: The architectural models at the Shrine of the Three Kings; in: Astrid Lang, Julian Jachmann (Ed.): Measurement and Discourse. Festschrift for Norbert Nussbaum on his 60th birthday . Lukas-Verlag, Berlin 2013, pp. 119-134

Web links

Commons : Shrine of the Three Kings  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Walter Schulten: Cologne relics. The bones of the Magi, In: Anton Legner : Ornamenta Ecclesiae, Art and Artists of the Romanesque Period in Cologne, Vol. 2, Cologne 1985, p. 75.
  2. ↑ Andreas Fasel: Cologne Cathedral: The riddle about the stolen three kings . July 13, 2014 ( welt.de [accessed November 30, 2019]).
  3. ^ A b c d e Walter Schulten: Cologne relics. The bones of the three kings. In: Anton Legner : Ornamenta Ecclesiae, Art and Artists of the Romanesque in Cologne, Vol. 2, Cologne 1985, pp. 71–74.
  4. ^ Rolf Lauer: Shrine of the Three Kings . In: Anton Legner : Ornamenta Ecclesiae, Art and Artists of the Romanesque in Cologne, Vol. 2, Cologne 1985, p. 215.
  5. ↑ Joseph Hoster: The Cologne Cathedral. Greven Verlag, Cologne 1964, p. 13.
  6. ↑ Walter Schulten: The place of worship of the three wise men . In: The Three Wise Men - Representation and Adoration. Cologne 1992, p. 61.
  7. ↑ Hermann Crombach , Primitarium Gentium, 1654
  8. ↑ Rolf Lauer: The Shrine of the Three Kings. Cologne 2006, ISBN 978-3-922442-53-0 , p. 92
  9. ↑ Kölner Domblatt 23/24, 1964: Eight Hundred Years of Adoration of the Three Kings in Cologne. Jakob Torsy: Eight Hundred Years of Adoration of the Three Kings in Cologne; XII. The return of the relics of the Three Kings in 1803; Pp. 103-108
  10. ↑ Kölner Domblatt 23/24, 1964: Eight Hundred Years of Adoration of the Three Kings in Cologne. Jakob Torsy: Eight Hundred Years of Adoration of the Three Kings in Cologne; XII. The return of the relics of the Three Kings in 1803; P. 110
  11. ↑ Walter Schulten: The place of worship of the three wise men. In: The Three Wise Men - Representation and Adoration. Cologne 1992, pp. 70/71
  12. ↑ a b Cologne Cathedral. Architectural and intellectual history. Historical Museum exhibition, August 11 to December 31, 1956, Cologne . JP Bachem, Cologne 1956, p. 96f
  13. ↑ Kölner Domblatt 23/24, 1964: Eight Hundred Years of Adoration of the Three Kings in Cologne. Jakob Torsy: Eight Hundred Years of Adoration of the Three Kings in Cologne; XIII. The Adoration of the Magi in the 19th and 20th Centuries , p. 113
  14. ↑ Erika Zwierlein-Diehl , The gems and cameos of the Dreikönigenschreines. Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-922442-25-0 , p. 48, based on Fritz Witte: A thousand years of German art on the Rhine 1932.
  15. ↑ rheinische-geschichte.lvr.de; Rüdiger Haude: The "Millennium Exhibitions" in Cologne and Aachen 1925 , accessed on July 19, 2014
  16. ^ Niklas Möring: The Cologne Cathedral in World War II; Verlag Kölner Dom, Cologne 2011. pp. 16-18
  17. ↑ Jakob Torsky: The Adoration of the Magi in the 19th and 20th Centuries in: Kölner Domblatt 23/24, 1964: Eight Hundred Years of Adoration of the Magi in Cologne , p. 115
  18. ^ Niklas Möring: The Cologne Cathedral in World War II; Verlag Kölner Dom, Cologne 2011. pp. 81–82
  19. ^ Barbara Schock-Werner : 45th cathedral report. From October 2003 to September 2004. in: Kölner Domblatt 69, 2004, pp. 33–34.
  20. ↑ Erika Zwierlein-Diehl : The gems and cameos of the Dreikönigenschreines. Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-922442-25-0 , p. 13
  21. ↑ Kölner Domblatt 1964, p. 34.
  22. ^ Rolf Lauer: The Shrine of the Holy Three Kings, Cologne Cathedral Publishing House, Cologne 2006; Page 16
  23. ↑ a b c JPNM Vogel: Collection of the magnificent precious stones with which the box of the three holy wise kings in the high ore cathedral church in Cologne is decorated Bonn 1781, pp. 21-23
  24. ↑ Barbara Schock-Werner: The architectural models at the Shrine of the Three Kings; in: Astrid Lang, Julian Jachmann (Ed.): Measurement and Discourse. Festschrift for Norbert Nussbaum on the occasion of his 60th birthday Lukas-Verlag, Berlin 2013, pp. 119–134.
  25. ↑ a b The Master of the Three Kings Shrine. Exhibition catalog; Cologne 1964. In: Eight hundred years of adoration of the three wise men in Cologne = Kölner Domblatt 23/24, 1964, p. 428.
  26. ↑ Rolf Lauer: Dreikönigenschrein in: Anton Legner : Ornamenta Ecclesiae, Art and Artists of the Romanesque in Cologne, Vol. 2, Cologne 1985, p. 216
  27. ↑ Rolf Lauer: The Shrine of the Three Kings. Cologne 2006, ISBN 978-3-922442-53-0 , pp. 18-21
  28. ↑ Rolf Lauer: The Shrine of the Three Kings. Cologne 2006, ISBN 978-3-922442-53-0 , p. 18.
  29. ^ Dietrich Kötzsche: Nikolaus von Verdun and the Cologne goldsmith's art . In: Anton Legner : Rhine and Maas. Art and culture 800 - 1400; Schnütgen-Museum, Cologne 1972, pp. 314-317.
  30. ↑ Erika Zwierlein-Diehl: The gems and cameos of the Dreikönigenschreines. Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-922442-25-0 , p. 24; Rolf Lauer: The Shrine of the Three Kings. Cologne 2006, ISBN 978-3-922442-53-0 , pp. 36-37.
  31. ↑ Rolf Lauer: The Shrine of the Three Kings. Cologne 2006, ISBN 978-3-922442-53-0 , p. 35.
  32. ^ Rolf Lauer: Dreikönigenschrein in: Anton Legner : Ornamenta Ecclesiae, Art and Artists of the Romanesque in Cologne, Vol. 2, Cologne 1985, pp. 220-221
  33. ^ Paul Clemen : The Cologne Cathedral. The art monuments of the city of Cologne, first volume, III. Department: The Düsseldorf Cathedral 1937, p. 113.
  34. ^ Rolf Lauer: Shrine of the Three Kings . In: Anton Legner : Ornamenta Ecclesiae, Art and Artists of the Romanesque in Cologne, Vol. 2, Cologne 1985, pp. 220-22.1
  35. ↑ The Viennese Ptolemaic Cameo - once at the Three Kings Shrine in Cologne. In: Studies on illumination and goldsmithing in the Middle Ages. Festschrift for Karl Hermann Usener on his 60th birthday. 1967.
  36. ↑ Erika Zwierlein-Diehl: The gems and cameos of the Dreikönigenschreines . Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-922442-25-0 , p. 36.
  37. ↑ Erika Zwierlein-Diehl: Ancient gems and their afterlife , p. 260.
  38. ↑ Erika Zwierlein-Diehl: The gems and cameos of the Dreikönigenschreines. Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-922442-25-0 , p. 44.
  39. ↑ Spelling often also Pollack
  40. ↑ rheinische-geschichte.lvr.de: Benedikt Beckenkamp (1747–1828), painter
  41. ↑ The Master of the Three Kings Shrine. Exhibition in the Archbishop's Diocesan Museum in Cologne, July 11th - August 23rd, 1964. In: Eight Hundred Years of Adoration of the Three Kings in Cologne (= Kölner Domblatt 23/24, 1964). Cologne 1964, pp. 428-429.