Marian column (Cologne)
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The Cologne Marian Column is one of the oldest of the Rhenish Marian Columns . This monument of the veneration of Mary made of Udelfanger sandstone was designed by Vincenz Statz in neo-Gothic style and completed in 1858; Today the column stands on Gereonsdriesch , a small park in the Altstadt-Nord district in the immediate vicinity of the east choir of the Romanesque church of St. Gereon .
History of origin
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed . the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary; As a result, this led to increased devotion to Mary in many places. In traditionally Catholic Cologne, whose population had been in tension with its Prussian city administration since 1815, an association was founded in April 1855 to erect a statue of Maria Immaculata. This plan was by no means undisputed among the population, newspaper reports spoke of an "impractical" idea that would "get bogged down" ( Cologne Cathedral was not finally completed until 1880). The construction of a hospital was proposed as an alternative symbol of active devotion to the Virgin Mary.
The association continued to pursue its plan, however, and on September 1, 1855, the organ for Christian art , a “battle sheet of the neo-Gothic” published a first draft by Vincenz Statz, which differed from the version that was finally executed.
Almost at the same time as the plans for the Marian Column, it became known that the city was planning to erect a monumental equestrian monument for King Friedrich Wilhelm III. plans. Here the contrasts in the city manifested themselves: on the one hand the Prussian administration with the mayor Hermann Joseph Stupp and a classicist equestrian monument, on the other hand the Catholic citizens of Cologne with a Gothic Marian column. The Prussian king as secular protector, Maria as religious protector of the city and the archbishopric.
The association's original plan to erect the Marian column on Alter Markt - opposite the town hall - failed due to the rejection of the city administration. A place in Gereonstrasse, in front of the archbishop's palace, was chosen as the location.
25,000 people attended the laying of the foundation stone on June 2, 1857, and by May 1858 the column was completed. The sculpture of the Virgin, which had already been implemented earlier, was given a temporary place in the Romanesque church of St. Maria in the Capitol . The inauguration took place in September 1858 on the occasion of the 10th general assembly of the Catholic associations in Germany. The politician August Reichensperger once again emphasized the importance of the monument as a "symbol of Catholic unity".
Change of location
When the desired location “Alter Markt” was rejected by the city administration, the Marian column was given its place on the median of Gereonstrasse, directly in front of the archbishop's palace.
When the Cologne tram was expanded at the beginning of the 20th century , the column had to give way to the track: in 1901 it was moved to Gereonsdriesch , a square southeast in front of the St. Gereon choir, at the transition from Christoph- to Gereonstraße. The Gereonsdriesch originally belonged to the Gereonsstift and has been planted with a three-row square of linden trees since the beginning of the 18th century. The Marian column was given its place on the south side of Gereonsdriesch, where it is still standing today. The original east side of the column now faces north.
style
The Marian column in Cologne is designed in the neo-Gothic style, which on the one hand corresponded to the romantic taste of the time, on the other hand, with the reference to the pre-Reformation Middle Ages, a "Catholic" style was emphasized for an originally Catholic monument.
The Gothic Bonn high cross from the 14th century, which has been preserved to this day, can be used to compare shapes . This was originally built by members of the Cologne Cathedral Builder Hut and restored in the 19th century.
Post-medieval Marian columns in baroque style were less common in the Rhineland than in southern Germany and Austria, for example, a baroque column in Cologne was not preserved in the 19th century.
From the figure program - four prophets and the blessing figure of Mary - the Cologne column largely corresponds to the first column of the Virgin Mary on the Piazza di Spagna in Rome, which was created after the publication of the papal bull.
description
Overall, the Cologne Marian Column in its neo-Gothic style looks like “a piece of the cathedral”. It is a single, monument-like pillar with a figure of Mary on top. The column is surrounded by a wrought iron fence, which was renewed in the 1980s based on the old model.
Above a polygon-shaped floor plan, three floors merging into one another rise over two small steps.
On the lower floor, a tabernacle opens on the north side , the three other sides are each adorned with a coat of arms relief: that of Pope Pius IX, that of the city of Cologne and that of the then Archbishop Johannes von Geissel (see: Scourge (Heraldry) )
The second floor is formed by four lavishly decorated open niches, in each of which a seated prophet figure has its place on consoles. a. Ezekiel and Jeremias , holding scrolls in their hands.
The third floor of the column rises above the niches, the end of which is formed by ornate canopies. The transition to the top of the pillar - a slender, bundled column - is complemented by small stepped turrets ( pinnacles ).
A wreath of winged angel heads forms the end of the pillar top, and at the same time the base of the sculpture of Mary on top.
The column is 13.50 meters high and at its widest point 2.50 meters wide and deep. The actual figure of Mary is 2.67 m high; she is shown as Immaculata , standing upright with a snake and a crescent moon at her feet. The hands are spread downwards in blessing and a metallic halo with stars is attached around the head. A metal arch originally surrounding the entire figure, which was presumably used for lighting purposes, is no longer there.
Artist and Funding
The overall architectural design for the column comes from Vincenz Statz, but individual elements were carried out by other artists and artisans:
The prophets were made by cathedral sculptor Peter Fuchs based on drawings by Eduard Jakob von Steinle , who also provided the designs for the figure of Mary. This was realized by the sculptor Gottfried Renn .
The figures of the prophets were financed by Cologne craftsmen, the figure of Mary by the congregations of the Virgin . The metal grille was donated by the Cologne Castle Guild.
literature
- Henriette Meynen: The Gereonsdriesch . In: Colonia Romanica, yearbook of the Friends of Roman Churches Cologne eV , Cologne 1989, pp. 86–91
- Eduard Trier: The Cologne Marian Column . In: Art of the 19th Century in the Rhineland, Volume 4, Düsseldorf 1980, ISBN 3-590-30254-2 , pp. 177–212
- Hans Vogts : Vincenz Statz (1819–1898) - Life picture and life work of a Cologne master builder . Mönchengladbach 1960.
References and comments
- ^ Rolf Lauer: The sculpture of the 19th century at Cologne Cathedral, in: Art of the 19th century in the Rhineland, Volume 4 , p. 13
- ↑ In the literature used (Trier), in connection with the plans for the equestrian monument, Hermann-Josef Struck speaks , presumably a misprint.
- ↑ Cologne's cultural heritage: Fuchs, Peter, Mariensäule. Retrieved August 15, 2019 .
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 56 ′ 33.7 ″ N , 6 ° 56 ′ 47.9 ″ E