Otto Mathilden Cross

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The Otto Mathilden Cross in the Essen Cathedral Treasury

The Otto Mathilden Cross is a lecture cross from the Essen Cathedral Treasury , which was made in the 10th century and has been used on major public holidays until recently. The name of the cross is derived from the people who are depicted on the incorporated donor plate. These are Duke Otto von Swabia and his sister, the abbess of the Essen monastery , Mathilde II. Both were grandsons of Emperor Otto the Great and confidante of their uncle, Otto II. The cross is one of the pieces that are special show the close connection between the Ottonians and the Essen monastery.

history

The cross has been in Essen since its creation, disregarding war and crisis-related evacuations. The Inventarium reliquiarum Essendiensium of July 12, 1627, the earliest list of the monastery treasury, does not allow a perfect identification, as it only lists two crucifixer fornhero coated with many stones and gold, but covered with copper on the back . This description applies to all four presentation crosses in the Essen Cathedral Treasury. The Liber Ordinarius , who regulated the liturgical use of the monastery treasury, only mentions lecture crosses in general. Since donated sacred objects were usually not passed on, it can be assumed that the cross belonged to the Essen women's monastery without interruption from its foundation until the secularization of the Essen women's monastery in 1802. During the Thirty Years War , the abbess of the monastery fled to Cologne with the treasures. During other crises the cross was probably hidden in the abbey area. This is documented for 1794, when the French advanced on Essen and the monastery treasure was brought to Steele (today Essen-Steele ) in the orphanage donated by Abbess Franziska Christine von Pfalz-Sulzbach .

During the secularization, the Catholic St. John's community took over the collegiate church and its inventory as a parish church. During the Ruhr uprising in 1920, the entire monastery treasure was brought to Hildesheim in great secrecy , from where it was returned in 1925 under the same conspiratorial circumstances.

During the Second World War , the cathedral treasure was first brought to Warstein , then to the Albrechtsburg in Meißen and from there to a bunker in Siegen . Found there by American troops after the end of the war, the cross with the treasure ended up in the State Museum in Marburg and later in a collection point for outsourced works of art at Dyck Castle near Rheydt . From April to October 1949, the Essen Cathedral Treasure was exhibited in Brussels and Amsterdam , only to be returned to Essen afterwards.

With the establishment of the Ruhr diocese in 1958 and the elevation of the Essen Minster to the cathedral, the cross came to the diocese of Essen.

description

The core of the 44.5 cm high and 29.5 cm wide cross is made of oak . It is a Latin cross , the ends of which are atypically widened. The trapezoidal widening suggests a capital shape similar to the Aachen Lothar cross donated by the West Franconian King Lothar , which is dated to the year 984 , through two bulges and the triangle placed on top . The front of the cross is covered with embossed gold sheet . A border stretches around the front of the cross, in which gemstones set on gold filigree are separated by two adjacent pearls . A fine string of pearls serves as the edge of the frame. Since the opposite stones are matched in color and size, the jewelry appears neat and clear. At the lower end of the vertical cross bar is the donor plate made of cell melt . On this are shown Mathilde, called Mathild Abba , and Otto, called Otto Dux , who are holding a cross together.

The body, driven from the gold sheet of the base plate, shows the suffering Christ . Due to the bulging belly and the asymmetrical upper body drawing, there are similarities with the corpus of the Cologne Gero Cross, therefore Cologne is assumed to be the place of origin of the Otto Mathilden Cross . However, Trier is also being considered, as the cell melting plates of the cross come from the Trier Egbert workshop. It is also possible that only the enamels were made in Trier and the cross was put together elsewhere. The nimbus around the slightly inclined head of the crucified one cuts the edge, the three precious stones of the nimbus additionally emphasize the posture of the head. Between the feet of the crucified Christ standing on a suppedaneum and the stifter plate there is still the chased image of a snake, which is related to Numbers 21: 4-9, Moses ' brazen serpent of life. According to another interpretation, a basilisk is shown, which refers to Ps 91:13, the Redeemer as victor over evil: "You will go over lions and otters and trample down young lions and dragons". Above the head of the body there is a second cell melting plate with the inscription IHC NA / ZARENVS / REX IVDEOR ("Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews") divided into three lines , the letters IHC stand for the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek Language.

Back of the Otto Mathilden Cross

The back of the cross is covered with gold-plated copper sheet and designed much simpler. It shows the four evangelists on the ends of the crossbars , the lamb of God is depicted at the crossing point . The images are linked by a tree of life .

Iconographic interpretation

The key to the interpretation: The donor plate in detail

The key to the interpretation and dating of the cross is the donor plate of the cross, which has remained unchanged since its creation. On this are Otto, Duke of Swabia, and the abbess Mathilde in courtly costume. The fabrics shown are probably Sogdian silk fabrics, which only came to the Franconian Empire as gifts from the Byzantine imperial court; similar fabrics have been preserved in the Essen Cathedral Treasury as reliquary covers. Since Mathilde has been abbess in Essen since 973, but is not shown in abbess clothing, it is assumed in recent literature that her portrayal in courtly clothing of a high-ranking noblewoman expresses that she appears as the sister of Duke Otto and not in her capacity as abbess. The absence of the rulership insignia of a duke such as sword and lance in Otto suggests that the siblings are represented as family members and not as dignitaries. Mathilde accepts a cross from her brother's hands. Otto holds the cross with both hands, but with outstretched fingers, while Mathilde grabs it with a tightly closed hand. Your other hand is placed in the wrist; this is ambiguous. On the one hand, this gesture can be interpreted as a greeting or acceptance gesture towards Otto from the context of the picture, but her fingers point beyond the picture to the crucified, so that it is also a gesture of mediation.

The image of the founder , especially the way the siblings held their hands, was previously interpreted to mean that Otto donated the cross to the monastery, which his sister was in charge of as abbess. However, this does not explain why Mathilde is not depicted as the abbess and Otto without ducal insignia. The thesis, often advocated by Pothmann and others, that it was a joint foundation of the siblings, does not match the fact that the shape of the cross shown on the donor plate does not match the Otto-Mathilden-Kreuz. This would typically be the case with medieval foundations.

According to more recent literature, the depiction of Otto's handover of the cross to Mathilde must therefore be seen symbolically and with a look at the family history of the Liudolfingers: With Otto's death on October 31, 982, the last male descendant of Queen Edgitha , Otto the Great's first wife , deceased. Mathilde, who had a strong sense of family, had become the manager of the house through his death. As the last member of this branch of the family, she was particularly obliged to look after the memory of the family ( memoria ). She took over this task from her brother. The picture of the founder should be interpreted in this context: It symbolizes Mathilde's will to continue the legacy of Otto, who died childless. Based on this, it can be assumed that Mathilde donated the cross in memory of her brother, who died during Emperor Otto II's Italian campaign in 982. The foundation is likely to have taken place shortly after his death, i.e. 983 or 984, possibly at the same time as the foundation of the larger-than-life crucifix in the Aschaffenburg collegiate church of St. Peter and Alexander , where Otto was buried. The painted frame of this cross corresponds to the edge frame of the Otto-Mathilden-Kreuz.

Liturgical meaning

middle Ages

The liturgical integration of the Otto Mathilden Cross in the Middle Ages can hardly be reconstructed. In principle, lecture crosses were set up near or partially on the altar and carried along during processions. The side with the body usually pointed to the front so that the participants in the procession followed Jesus according to Mt 10.38. The Liber Ordinarius from Essen from the 14th century, who draws on previous texts, narrates several processions. It is possible that a lecture cross, also comparable to the Reichskreuz der Reichskleinodien , was a rulership insignia of the abbesses of Essen.

A peculiarity that Beuckers refers to due to the fact that the Otto-Mathilden-Kreuz is the oldest and most elaborate of the four Essen lecture crosses is passed down by the Liber Ordinarius for the procession on Easter Vigil, which goes through from the St. Peter's altar in the westwork of the minster the cloister led to the cemetery of the colleges, where the graves were sprinkled with holy water, while the convent referred to salvation through the cross in alternating chants. Such a procession, also known from other monasteries, symbolized the resurrection of Christ for the dead who were included in the liturgy of Easter; it has an intercessory character and is related to the memorial system . For the Essen procession, the Liber Ordinarius stipulated, in deviation from usual practice, that the front of the cross should face the procession. In the case of the Otto-Mathilden-Kreuz, this would have the consequence that the siblings depicted on the enamel on the front would have become part of the procession, as it were, a brotherhood in prayer beyond death that would be an example of the function of a memorial foundation.

present

Despite its age and art historical importance, the Otto Mathilden Cross is not a museum item. It has never lost the sacred function of a lecture cross. When the first bishop of Essen was enthroned on January 1, 1958, it was carried in front of him and was also used as a presentation cross on high holidays and processions. This use was discontinued by his successors for restoration reasons. For this purpose there is a modern lecture cross based on the appearance of the Otto-Mathilden-Kreuz. At the festive mass for the consecration of the expansion of the Essen Cathedral Treasury on May 15, 2009, the more than a thousand-year-old Otto Mathilden Cross served as an altar cross to represent the cathedral treasure.

See also

literature

  • Georg Humann : The works of art of the cathedral church to eat. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1904, pp. 115-160.
  • Alfred Pothmann : The Essen church treasure from the early days of the monastery history. In: Günter Berghaus (Hrsg.): Dominion, education and prayer. Foundation and beginnings of the Essen women's monastery. Klartext-Verlag, Essen 2000, ISBN 3-88474-907-2 , pp. 135-153.
  • Klaus Gereon Beuckers : The Otto Mathilden Cross in the Essen Minster Treasure. Reflections on the character and function of the founder image. In: Katrinette Bodarwé, Thomas Schilp (ed.): Dominion, liturgy and space. Studies on the medieval history of the women's foundation in Essen (= Essen research on the women's foundation, vol. 1). Klartext-Verlag, Essen 2002, ISBN 3-89861-133-7 , pp. 51-80.
  • Klaus Gereon Beuckers, Ulrich Knapp: Colored gold. The Ottonian crosses in the Essen Cathedral Treasury and their enamels. Cathedral Treasury Essen, Essen 2006, ISBN 3-00-020039-8 .
  • Sonja Hermann: The inscriptions of the city of Essen (= The German inscriptions , Volume 81). Reichert, Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 978-3-89500-823-8 , pp. 13-14 No. 6, plates II-III.

Web links

Commons : Otto-Mathilden-Kreuz  - Collection of Images

Remarks

  1. ↑ Lydia Konnegen: Hidden Treasures. The Essen minster treasure in times of the Ruhr conflict. In: The Minster on Hellweg. Vol. 58, 2005, pp. 67-81.
  2. ^ Alfred Pothmann: The Essen church treasure from the early days of the monastery history. In: Günter Berghaus (Hrsg.): Dominion, education and prayer. Foundation and beginnings of the Essen women's monastery. Essen 2000, pp. 135–153, here p. 143.
  3. ↑ Klaus Gereon Beuckers: The Otto Mathilden Cross in the Essen Minster Treasure. Reflections on the character and function of the founder image In: Katrinette Bodarwé, Thomas Schilp (Hrsg.): Herrschaft, Liturgie und Raum. Studies on the medieval history of the women's monastery in Essen. Essen 2002, pp. 51–80, here p. 59.
  4. ↑ Klaus Gereon Beuckers: The Otto Mathilden Cross in the Essen Minster Treasure. Reflections on the character and function of the founder image. In: Katrinette Bodarwé, Thomas Schilp (Ed.), Dominion, Liturgy and Space. Studies on the medieval history of the women's monastery in Essen, Essen 2002, pp. 51–80, here p. 57.
  5. ^ Alfred Pothmann: The Essen church treasure from the early days of the monastery history. In: Günter Berghaus (Hrsg.): Dominion, education and prayer. Foundation and beginnings of the Essen women's monastery. Essen 2000, pp. 135–153, here p. 143.
  6. ↑ Klaus Gereon Beuckers: The Otto Mathilden Cross in the Essen Minster Treasure. Reflections on the character and function of the founder image In: Katrinette Bodarwé u. Thomas Schilp (ed.): Dominion, liturgy and space. Studies on the medieval history of the women's monastery in Essen. Essen 2002, pp. 51–80, here p. 63.
  7. ↑ Klaus Gereon Beuckers: The Otto Mathilden Cross in the Essen Minster Treasure. Reflections on the character and function of the founder image In: Katrinette Bodarwé, Thomas Schilp (Hrsg.): Herrschaft, Liturgie und Raum. Studies on the medieval history of the women's monastery in Essen. Essen 2002, pp. 51–80, here p. 60.
  8. ↑ Klaus Gereon Beuckers: The Otto Mathilden Cross in the Essen Minster Treasure. Reflections on the character and function of the founder image In: Katrinette Bodarwé, Thomas Schilp (Hrsg.): Herrschaft, Liturgie und Raum. Studies on the medieval history of the women's monastery in Essen. Essen 2002, pp. 51–80, here p. 63.
  9. ↑ Klaus Gereon Beuckers, Ulrich Knapp: Colored gold. The Ottonian crosses in the Essen Cathedral Treasury and their enamels. Essen 2006, p. 8.
  10. ↑ Klaus Gereon Beuckers: The Otto Mathilden Cross in the Essen Minster Treasure. Reflections on the character and function of the founder image In: Katrinette Bodarwé, Thomas Schilp (Hrsg.): Herrschaft, Liturgie und Raum. Studies on the medieval history of the women's monastery in Essen. Essen 2002, pp. 51–80, here p. 76.
  11. ↑ "And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worth mine."
  12. ↑ Klaus Gereon Beuckers: The Otto Mathilden Cross in the Essen Minster Treasure. Reflections on the character and function of the founder image In: Katrinette Bodarwé, Thomas Schilp (Hrsg.): Herrschaft, Liturgie und Raum. Studies on the medieval history of the women's monastery in Essen. Essen 2002, pp. 51–80, here pp. 77 f.
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on June 14, 2006 in this version .