Cologne fountain sanctuary

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St. Kunibert
St. Clement Fountain

The predecessor church, the Herrenstiftskirche St. Kunibert mentioned in 866, possibly goes back to an early Cologne fountain sanctuary . Traces of the possible pagan sanctuary , the Kunibertspütz , can still be found today below the east apse , in the crypt of the church.

From cult site to Christian church building

In the 7th century Archbishop Kunibert of Cologne built a church on the Rhine in front of the northern Roman wall , possibly on the area of ​​an early Franconian cult site . A similar thing happened in Minden around 803 . He designated the small church as his burial place and dedicated it to Clemens, who was also venerated as a water saint . The church later lost its original patronage and was probably consecrated as Sankt Kunibert after the elevation of its founder.

Legends

In 1955 a floor slab designed by Elmar Hillebrand was embedded in the area of ​​the crossing and the choir of the church, which refers to the crypt and the "Kunibertspütz". The visible hint helps old legends to come to life:

  • The "Kunibertspütz" played a major role in the medieval folk belief of Cologne. The water from the pre-Christian well, traces of which can still be found in St. Kunibert's underground, is said to have increased the fertility of women if they drank from its water. Today a base plate closes the well shaft at the level of the crossing .
  • According to popular legend, the Mother of God and the souls of Cologne's unborn children play in a paradisiacal setting at the bottom of the fountain .
  • A figure of speech in Cologne says: The true-Cologne is baptized with the water from the Puetz in St. Kunibert .

St. Clement Fountain

A newer and more accessible fountain dedicated to Clemens of Rome stands on the edge of Kunibertsklostergasse between the local St. Marien Hospital and the Church of St. Kunibert. The St. Clemensbrunnen was created by Titus Reinarz , a German sculptor living in Sinzig .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Manfred Becker-Huberti , Günter A. Menne: Kölner Kirchen, the churches of the Catholic and Protestant communities in Cologne , p. 96
  2. ↑ Chronicle of the City of Minden http://www.alt-minden.de/klchronik.html ( Memento from March 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on July 22, 2009
  3. ↑ Friends of Roman churches in Cologne