Kaiser Heinrich Cross (Fritzlar)

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The Kaiser-Heinrich-Kreuz , also Heinrichskreuz , is a Romanesque altar and lecture cross of the Kruckenkreuz type in the cathedral treasure of the collegiate church of St. Peter in Fritzlar .

Construction and execution

front

The gem cross has a height of 48 cm and a width of 29 cm. The wooden core was covered with gold-plated copper sheet . The front is set with 346 precious stones , gems and pearls . Some pearls have been lost over time and have been replaced by simpler glass casts.

According to legend, behind the white oval crystal in the center of the cross on the front, a wooden chip from the cross of Jesus Christ should be worked into the crossing of the cross .

The middle gem in the upper square is a rock crystal with a blue background . The gemstone in the lower square is an onyx , on the white background of which rises a gray-brown vase from which a flower is growing and two birds have perched.

17 Greek, Roman and Gallic gems were worked into the cross with masterful craftsmanship . An art-historical specialty among the gems is the "Abraxas amulet". The Gnostic secret word " Abraxas " has been carved into this gem .

Particularly valuable gemstones from the large number of processed gemstones are surrounded by a wreath of precious pearls. The ground is underlaid with picturesque filigree patterns .

back

The reverse shows the Agnus Dei in strong engraving in the middle . The evangelist symbols are shown on the four corners . There is a filigree engraved representation of Simon Petrus on the lower longitudinal bar .

history

The cross was created in the school of the Benedictine monk Roger von Helmarshausen in the 11th century in the Helmarshausen monastery near Bad Karlshafen . The Romanesque master craftsman presumably advised and supported his students in the execution.

The wooden relic of the cross of Christ was a gift from Empress Kunigunde and Emperor Heinrich II on the occasion of the founding of the Kaufungen Monastery . A chip was cut from this relic and worked into the Heinrichs-Kreuz by students of Roger von Helmarshausen. In 1020, Emperor Heinrich II donated this altar cross and other sacred art objects to St. Petri-Stift Fritzlar. In the 12th century, the backing was renewed. The masterfully crafted cross is the most important exhibit in the Fritzlar Cathedral Treasury and also one of the most important sacred Romanesque works of art. In 1999 it was shown in the exhibition Emperor Charlemagne meets Pope Leo III. shown in Paderborn .

literature

  • Karl E. Demandt : History of the State of Hesse . Johannes Stauda Verlag, Kassel 1980, p. 355
  • Friedrich Häring, Hans Joachim Klein, (Ed.): Hessen: From Edersee to Bergstrasse . DuMont Buchverlag, Cologne 1979, p. 71
  • Greaves travel guide: Upper Hesse, Kurhessen and Waldeck . Volume 230, Verlag Karl Thiemig, Munich 1981, p. 106
  • Eckhart G. Franz (Ed.): The Chronicle of Hessen. Chronik Verlag, Dortmund 1991, p. 42.
  • Peter Gallus Haselbeck OFM: The Fritzlar Cathedral. Katholisches Dompfarramt St. Petri, Verlag & Druck L. Wittich, Fritzlar 1971, p. 4. u. 21st

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