Cologne cathedral builder

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Facade plan F: the famous master builder plan from the Cologne Middle Ages

The Cologne cathedral builders were and are responsible for the construction and maintenance of the Cologne cathedral ; they also manage the Cologne cathedral building administration and manage the cathedral building works . The cathedral master craftsmen were previously assigned to them .

middle Ages

Little is known about the people of the medieval cathedral builders - also because the archive of the cathedral building was removed by the French in 1794 and has since been considered lost. This is another reason why the medieval cathedral master builders can only be grasped by the structure they built.

Master Gerhard

Master Gerhard: The stone head above the axial chapel is considered to be the master builder

The first master builder was master Gerhard . It is believed that he was appointed from a local construction site. Perhaps he came from the German-speaking part of Lorraine and therefore knew the Lorraine cathedrals of Toul and Metz . Because he built the cathedral using the late Romanesque construction method, he certainly never entered a French construction site. However, he was undoubtedly in France to see the most modern cathedrals of the time - and especially the choir building in Amiens - in person.

When planning the Cologne choir, Master Gerhard then presented a mathematically and geometrically founded crack that clearly surpassed his role models. Because in the chapel wreath in Amiens the 7 chapels are built as sections of an approximate 13-corner. Gerhard, on the other hand, designed it geometrically as 7 sides of a regular 12-sided corner. The analytical talent behind this planning was evidently so important that the highly praised Cologne solution could not be repeated on other construction works in the following years. It has therefore been assumed that Gerhard was a master builder who worked primarily as an ideal planner and not as a craftsman. In any case, he must have had an above-average talent for spatial imagination and a very good feeling for spatial effects and proportions. He succeeded for the first time (and the only one) to develop uniform bundle pillars for the entire choir, and he chose an egg-shaped pillar cross-section in the round choir in order to achieve a more harmonious spatial impression.

Under the energetic construction management of Gerhard, the construction work progressed quickly, so that in 1277 the chapel wreath was completed. At this point, however, Gerhard had already died († around 1271) because he had fallen from scaffolding. This occupational risk was known at the time; Nevertheless, the circumstances of the cathedral builder's death were evidently so mysterious that several cathedral statements developed from it in the Middle Ages . Cathedral architect Gerhard has long been identified with the Cologne canon Gerhard von Rile, who came from a Rhineland ministerial family. In the meantime, "that must be ruled out."

For a long time Gerhard was seen as the creator of a “Gothic master plan”, who developed the impressively uniform overall plan of the cathedral as a five-aisled building with a double tower facade. Today that has been refuted as completely implausible. Basically, the cathedrals were only planned in stages in the Middle Ages and each master builder always wanted to implement his own planning handwriting in the factory. It therefore remains to be seen whether the remarkably harmonious, uniform design of the triforium and upper aisle was the idea of ​​Gerhard or that of his highly respected successor, Master Arnold.

Master Arnold

Master Arnold , the second master builder of the domes, was nicknamed "Poleyr" (or "Parlier"). From this it was concluded that he had already worked as a kind of master craftsman for his predecessor. Possibly he was also the progenitor of the later famous master builder family, the Parler . Arnold was so highly regarded in Cologne that his two sons Johannes and Rutger followed him in the office of master builder. Arnold built the vaults of the high choir and the glass and tracery wall elements stretched into the pillars like a membrane. It is therefore possible that the perfectly harmonious design of the triforium and upper cladding is not only his construction, but also his design.

Shortly after Arnold took over his office in Cologne, part of the choir collapsed in the cathedral in Beauvais, which was being built at the same time (1284). Because the static ambition in Cologne and Beauvais was similar, it must have served as a warning sign for Arnold too. He decided to keep the construction of the cathedral in principle, but significantly strengthened the buttress on the high choir. The buttress absorbs the shear forces of the vault, which the slender inner pillars cannot support, and thus ensures the stability of the “glass house”. At the same time, the buttresses act as barriers against wind pressure . It is unclear whether Arnold († after 1299) was allowed to set the keystone on the high choir, which was largely influenced by him. The work was then completed by his son Johannes by 1322.

Master Johannes and Master Rutger

Beginning of the 14th century: choir pillar figure under the supervision of the cathedral master builder

Arnold's sons, Master Johannes (1270 - 1331) and Master Rutger († 1333), have continued building the cathedral since 1308, true to the style of their father's generation. For reasons that are no longer known to us today, they came to the decision to build the south aisles of the nave after the choir was completed. It would have been more common to build the adjoining transept after the choir. When planning the nave, the builders came up with a five-aisled solution, although three-aisled longhouses were preferred in French cathedral construction. The Cologne cathedral plan then caught on in the Netherlands and was imitated , for example, in the original blueprint for the cathedral in Antwerp .

The creation of the pillars of the choir fell during the construction period for which Johannes and Rutger were responsible. It can be assumed that these were created under your supervision and guidance. The 14 figures adopt compositional motifs from French, especially Parisian sculpture. With their overly long, curved figures, which are also hung with sweeping, deeply folded robes, they emphasize a new style that has been described as “over-French”. The artists of the figures can be regarded as the avant-garde among the stone masons of that time. In contrast to all the models, they also gave the figures a magnificent, richly ornamented painting, which was described as “show effects of the silk fabrics”. As a result, the builders not only create the climax of the Mannerist phase of Gothic sculpture. At the same time, they open the way for a new, soft style that eventually leads to the bohemian beautiful style .

In terms of architectural style, the masters faithfully followed the more than 70-year-old solutions that their predecessors had found for the choir. That wasn't a given. Many master builders used a new construction phase to realize their own creative talent. Today it remains to be seen whether the family imprint has prevented it. It is likely that the older Heinrich Parler , who became known as the master builder of the minster in Schwäbisch Gmünd , was the son of one of the two cathedral master builders.

Bartholomäus von Hamm

Bartholomäus von Hamm was the cathedral master builder until the middle of the 14th century . He was the father-in-law of the later very famous Peter Parler , who learned his trade in Cologne. Bartholomäus and Peter worked out a first plan for the west facade, which Peter drew at least partially. It is believed that it was his masterpiece. Bartholomäus had to take particular care to make the church space in the side aisles usable at least temporarily, and there he created a kind of hall church with an emergency roof, which was two bays wide and at least 6 bays long. The church interior, which was separated from the choir by a wall, could eventually be used for mass celebrations. At the same time, the cathedral master builder created the foundation for the south-west tower, which was laid around 1360. However, due to his death before 1353, Bartholomew was not allowed to realize his plans for the west facade.

Michael of Savoy

In 1353 Michael von Savoyen (* around 1320, † after 1387) came to Cologne as master builder for the cathedral. He came from an older master builder family from the vicinity of Salem, who in the following generations became closely connected to the Parler family through several marriages. In the late Middle Ages, Master Michael was one of the “star architects.” Today he is identified as the cathedral builder to whom we owe the west facade of the cathedral, which we know.

Michael probably spent his apprenticeship years in the sphere of influence of the Strasbourg construction works, which had gained great influence through the revolutionary building creations of Erwin von Steinbach . Michael therefore knew both the tracery veil on the Strasbourg cathedral and the tracery helmet on the Freiburg cathedral from his own experience. An important influence on the Cologne facade plan can be seen from both of Erwin's creations.

Due to his close family ties with Peter Parler , Michael was certainly also up to date in detail about the form foundations of Parler's Gothic, which he was able to realize during the construction of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague . Michael will therefore have had a detailed insight into the most recent architectural inventions at the time, which we now call the late Gothic. He will also have seen the French cathedrals in Reims , Troyes and Rouen . All of this made him a mature builder who had a complete view of contemporary sacred architecture.

In 1370, Friedrich von Saar Werden, only twenty years old, ascended to the archbishopric in Cologne. In an exchange of ideas with this prince-bishop, who had a keen interest in strengthening his influence on imperial politics, Michael was able to realize his major construction plan for a new west facade. So around 1370 the famous facade plan F was created on a parchment over four meters high, on which the archbishop apparently had changes made to make space for equestrian statues (which were never realized.) The builder and his young client decided instead up to then planned to build five portals only three. In addition, Michael was able to achieve that the facade structure was not limited to the west facade, but was led around the entire tower body.

The builder had the self-confidence to plan a facade in a dimension that far exceeded all buildings of the time. The west facade of the cathedral is almost 7,000 square meters and is still the largest church facade ever. With a height of over 150 meters, the towers would have made the cathedral the tallest building in the Middle Ages. (The cathedral was still like that in 1880, when the towers could finally be completed.) Thus the west facade of the cathedral became one of the largest construction companies in the Middle Ages. She entered into a competition with St. Vitus Cathedral in two ways. For the master builder Michael, it was the artistic confrontation with his opponent Peter Parler who introduced the late Gothic styles in Prague. Friedrich, Michael's archiepiscopal client, was in such close contact with the imperial court of Charles IV in Prague that the construction competition was a useful means of demonstrating the archbishop's proximity to the emperor.

In order to realize his building task, Michael chose a post-classical, high-Gothic architectural language that was around 100 years old in his time. He wanted to emphasize that the cathedral was a building with historical tradition and importance even then. In doing so, he succeeded in turning the Cologne cathedral facade into a monument to political ambitions. In addition, the archbishop, his client, also appreciated the high Gothic architectural language. Michael however succeeded in transferring the high Gothic style forms to a three-dimensional structure that is typical of the late Gothic. The master builder thus created a late Classical variant of the High Gothic, with which he made a significant contribution to turning it into a conscious historical architectural trend in the middle of the 14th century. From the maturity of his experience, he succeeded in creating a building solution that made the cathedral appear as a homogeneous structure and at the same time turned it into a high-Gothic "ideal cathedral".

With Michael's death, his influence in Cologne ended. For not one of his sons (or sons-in-law) but a Jacob of Metz was called to succeed him .

Master builder from 1389

Towards the end of the 15th century, the building intensity at Cologne Cathedral steadily decreased. The last known master builder from 1469 was Johann Kuene van Franckenberg, who was last mentioned in 1491. The foundation stone of the north tower was laid around 1500. Work on the cathedral has been gradually discontinued since 1510, the last construction report is from 1528. More recent research suggests that construction will be largely halted as early as 1530, even if money was still flowing for equipment and repairs.

Modern times

literature

  • Günther Binding: architectus, magister operis, wercmeistere: master builders and site managers in the Middle Ages. In: Middle Latin Yearbook. 34, 1999, pp. 7-28.
  • Günther Binding: Who was Master Gerhard who planned and built Cologne Cathedral 750 years ago? In: Ulrich Krings, Wolfgang Schmitz, Hiltrud Westermann-Angerhausen (eds.): Thesaurus Coloniensis. Festschrift for Anton von Euw on his 65th birthday (= publications of the Cologne History Association. Volume 41) Cologne 1999, pp. 45–60.
  • Peter Kurmann: “Star Architects” of the 14th and 15th centuries. In: Rainer Schwinges, Christian Hesse, Peter Moraw (eds.): Europe in the late Middle Ages. Politics - Society - Culture (= supplements to the historical journal. Volume 40). Munich 2006, pp. 539-557.
  • Johann Jacob Merlo: The cathedral builders of Cologne. According to the documents. In: Yearbooks of the Association of Old Age Friends in the Rhineland. 73, 1882, pp. 100-138; 74, 1882, pp. 93-129; 75, 1883, pp. 81-132.

Web links

Portal: Cologne Cathedral  - Library to Cologne Cathedral

Remarks

  1. ↑ Cologne Cathedral: History of the Cologne Dombauhütte. (PDF).
  2. ↑ Arnold Woff: The Cathedral of Cologne, edited and supplemented by Barbara Schock-Werner, Cologne 2015, p 58
  3. ^ Marc Carel Schurr: From master Gerhard to Heinrich Parler. Thoughts on the architectural history of the Cologne Cathedral Choir. In: Kölner Domblatt. 68, 2003, p. 135 f.
  4. ↑ a b Arnold Wolff: The perfect cathedral. P. 45.
  5. ↑ a b Georg Schelbert: The choir floor plans of the cathedrals of Cologne and Amiens. In: Kölner Domblatt. 62, 1997, p. 110.
  6. ^ Carl Dietmar: The medieval Cologne. Cologne 2006, p. 268 f.
  7. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne 2018, p. 92.
  8. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne 2018, p. 36.
  9. ↑ Marc Steinmann: Thoughts on the Gothic transept of Cologne Cathedral. In: Kölner Domblatt. 72, 2007, pp. 145 f.
  10. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne 2018, p. 37 ff.
  11. ↑ a b c d e Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the crack of the facade of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne 2018, p. 95.
  12. ^ Andreas Huppertz: The artist family of the Parler and the Cologne Cathedral. In: Hans Vogts (Ed.): The Cologne Cathedral, Festschrift for the Seven Centennial Celebration 1248–1948. Cologne 1948, p. 142.
  13. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne 2018, p. 94.
  14. ^ Hiltrud Kier: Cologne, Reclams City Guide Architecture and Art. Stuttgart 2008, p. 45.
  15. ^ Klaus Gereon Beuckers: The Cologne Cathedral. Darmstadt 2004, p. 54 f.
  16. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne 2018, p. 94 ff.
  17. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne 2018, p. 38 ff.
  18. ^ Georg Dehio: History of German Art. Volume 2. The late Middle Ages from Rudolf von Habsburg to Maximilian I. The art of the Gothic. Berlin 1930, p. 95 f.
  19. ↑ a b Robert Suckale: Dating questions are questions of understanding. To classify the Cologne cathedral choir statues. In: Klaus Hardering (Hrsg.): The choir pillars of the Cologne Cathedral. (= Kölner Domblatt ) 2012, p. 284.
  20. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne 2018, p. 101.
  21. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne 2018, p. 96.
  22. ↑ Otto Kletzl : Savoy, Michael . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General lexicon of fine artists from antiquity to the present . Founded by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker . tape 27 : Piermaria – Ramsdell . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1933, p. 514 .
  23. ^ Andreas Huppertz: The artist family of the Parler and the Cologne Cathedral. In: Hans Vogts (Ed.): The Cologne Cathedral. Festschrift for the Seven Centennial Celebration 1248–1948. Cologne 1948, p. 142.
  24. ↑ Peter Kurmann: "Star Architects" of the 14th and 15th centuries. In. Rainer Schwinges, Christian Hesse, Peter Moraw (eds.): Europe in the late Middle Ages. Politics - Society Culture (= supplements to the historical journal. Volume 40). Munich 2006, pp. 539-557.
  25. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. P. 113.
  26. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. P. 107.
  27. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. P. 159.
  28. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. P. 142 ff.
  29. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. P. 158.
  30. ^ Günter Bandmann: Medieval architecture as a carrier of meaning. Berlin 1951.
  31. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. P. 61.
  32. ^ Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. P. 114.
  33. ↑ a b Johann Josef Böker: Michael of Savoy and the facade plan of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne 2018, p. 108.
  34. ^ Domwerkmeister after Johann Jacob Merlo: Cologne artists in old and new times . edit again and exp. News from the life and works of Cologne artists / ed. by Eduard Firmenich-Richartz, assisted by Hermann Keussen. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1895, p. ?? .
  35. ↑ Deputy cathedral builder Bernd Billecke has passed away . Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  36. ↑ kna: Cologne Cathedral Chapter advises on Dombauhütte and its director. domradio.de , June 14, 2014, accessed on January 1, 2015 .
  37. ↑ Cathedral building administration. dombauhütte, accessed on January 1, 2015 .
  38. ↑ Peter Füssenich becomes the new cathedral builder. Domradio.de, January 19, 2016, accessed on January 19, 2016 .
  39. ^ Homepage Kölner Dom News from September 19, 2016: New deputy cathedral master builder , accessed on November 4, 2017.