Romanesque stained glass window by St. Kunibert in Cologne
The Romanesque glass windows from St. Kunibert in Cologne are the oldest lead glass windows in the Cologne city area that are still in situ (on the spot). They were created in the period of 1220/30, when the altars of St. Kunibert were consecrated.
history
When in the 18th century the old colored windows were replaced by white panes in many churches in order to create more light in the church, the apse windows remained behind the new baroque high altar , because they were covered by it and therefore did not disturb.
As was customary at the time, wealthy citizens and members of the monastery chapter had financed the windows. The donors are shown at the bottom of the window or named in the memorial book of the church. Of the traditional part of the window cycle, consisting of eight preserved windows, there are five windows in the axis of the apse : The Clemens, Jesse and Kunibert windows and below the two windows with the representation of St. Cordula (left) and St. Ursula (right). In the north transept are the windows of St. Cäcilia and Katharina, in the south transept the window depicting John the Baptist. This late Romanesque cycle is one of the most important glass paintings in the Rhineland .
Jesse window
The upper middle apse window shows one of the most common iconographic representations of stained glass in the Middle Ages : the root of Jesse . From the body of Jesse at the very bottom - the representations of the glass windows read from bottom to top - sprouts the family tree , which flows into Christ, represented by the Annunciation , the birth of Christ, the crucifixion, the resurrection and the ascension. The branches to the left and right of the central medallions show the prophets and models of the Old Testament .
Clement Window
The upper left apse window depicts the legend of the second patron of the church, St. Clement . The bottom medallion shows the baptism of Clement by Peter . Clemens is standing in a vat on the left half of the picture and reading a mass in the right half of the picture. The fields above represent the martyrdom of St. Clemens: Condemnation by Trajan and transport by ship, Clement's prayer and Christ appears in the form of a lamb, while at the same time the pagans overturn their idols. Then Clemens von Trajan is sentenced to death by drowning and you can see him being thrown into the sea. His body is recovered on the same medallion and a church is built for him.
Kunibert window
The upper right apse window depicts the legend of St. Kunibert of Cologne . The life of Kunibert is described in five scenes: Kunibert lies as a page at the feet of King Dagobert's bed . Here two small figures are shown, the donor couple, pleading for intercession . Then Kunibert says goodbye to the king and court. In the third scene, Kunibert is appointed bishop of Cologne by the king and a white dove appears to Kunibert, who gives him the grave of St. Ursula von Köln points. The last picture shows Kunibert's death and how two angels carry his soul to heaven. Above this, in the otherwise ornamented frame, there is a medallion with the figure of Christ.
Holy Window
Saints Cordula (left) and Ursula (right) are depicted in the lower apse windows . In the north transverse wing Saint Cecilia (currently expanded for restoration) and Catherine and in the south transverse wing John the Baptist .
St. Cordula with a martyr's palm and a lance, including donor figures
St. Ursula with a martyr's palm and an arrow, including donor figures
St. Catherine with a martyr's palm and a wheel, including a donor figure
John the Baptist with the Lamb of God, including a donor figure
literature
- Paul Clemen (Hrsg.): The art monuments of the Rhine province . Volume 6: The art monuments of the city of Cologne. L. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1916, Section 4: The ecclesiastical monuments of the city of Cologne: St. Alban, St. Andreas, Antoniterkirche, St. Aposteln, St. Cäcilia, St. Columba, St. Cunibert, Elendskirche, St. Georg. (Pp. 267–276, very detailed description of the Romanesque stained glass windows)
- Louis Grodecki : Sankt Kunibert in Cologne . In: Romanesque stained glass . Kohlhammer Verlag , Stuttgart 1977, ISBN 3-17-004433-8 , pp. 222-228. [not evaluated]
- Werner Schäfke : Cologne's Romanesque churches: architecture, art, history. Emons, Cologne 2004, ISBN 3897053217 , pp. 115-116.
- Christoph Machat: St. Kunibert in Cologne . Rheinische Kunststätten issue 58, 3rd revised edition, Neuss 2005, ISBN 388094539X .
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 56 ′ 48.3 " N , 6 ° 57 ′ 45.2" E