St. Ursula (Cologne)

St. Ursula in Cologne (view from the southwest)

View from the southeast

St. Ursula is one of the twelve large Romanesque basilicas in Cologne's old town . It is consecrated to the holy virgin and martyr Ursula and her companions. Pope Benedict XV St. Ursula elevated to a minor basilica in 1920 .

history

Prehistory and predecessor buildings from late antiquity

The Clematius inscription is now on the south wall of the Gothic choir.

The prehistory and early history of St. Ursula is reconstructed today using archaeological finds from the war and post-war periods as well as the critical interpretation of the legends surrounding the “Church of the Holy Virgin”. In addition, there is the stone Clematius inscription, which perhaps dates from the 9th or 10th century, but also, as previously assumed, could have been made around the year 400:

"According to vows, Clematius, of senatorial rank, at his own expense, on his ground, renewed this basilica, as he owed it according to the vow, from the foundation walls."

The inscription also states that only the bones of the holy virgins should be buried (deposuerit) in the church, under threat of hellfire in the event of a violation (example: Viventia legend and sarcophagus, below under furnishings). Amazingly, this inscription speaks of the martyrdom of the heavenly virgins, who appeared from the Orient.

Gravestone for the Virgin Ursula, found on the burial ground below the church

The archaeological excavations revealed a hall building from the fourth century with an east apse. Modifications and extensions took place mainly in the 6th century. The fact that the Roman burial ground on which St. Ursula was built was already heavily ransacked in the 12th century in search of relics made the archaeological evaluations of the 1940s difficult - exact clarity about the changes to the building can no longer be achieved. There is evidence of the substructure of a keyhole-shaped anvil , as it was also found below Cologne Cathedral , in Trier and in Boppard. In these places such pulpits date from the second half of the 6th century.

Foundation of the monastery and predecessor Ottonian building

A paraphrase of the Archbishop Gunthar mentions a canon for the first time in 866; apparently there were no canons at that time. By the raid of the Normans in Cologne in the year 881/882, the basilica was damaged; a donation from the year 911 testifies to the continued existence of the monastery - however, it remains unclear whether canons were still responsible for the monastery at that time or whether they were already canons. Clearly the situation today, it is only when the 922 ladies of the Gerresheimer pin fled before a raid of Hungary to Cologne by Archbishop I. Hermann were taken. He renewed the altar area with a T-shaped monument with 11 burial places or reliquary graves and a side apse. The chosen number 11 could be the origin of exactly 11 - or later 11,000 - legendary martyrs around St. Ursula. The name Ursula apparently refers to a gravestone of an eight-year-old from the 4th / 5th, found in the vicinity of the church. Century.

Further construction measures are initially not documented; Archbishop Wichfrid donated the parish church of St. Maria Ablass to the monastery in 927 . A generous donation from Archbishop Warin - including St. Apostles - was used to repair the church roofs and improve the lighting.

Romanesque new building with Gothic extensions

When the city fortifications were expanded in 1106 and a large burial ground was discovered during the work, the Ursula legend was further embellished. Some relics initially went to St. Kunibert . The rich finds and the trade in relics led to some prosperity, so that a completely new church was subsequently possible. There are hardly any documents on this. The only clue is the note about the consecration of an altar consecrated to St. Cordula from the year 1135. This and the interpretation of the structural forms allow the building to be dated to the second quarter of the 12th century.

The new building took over the central axis of the Ottonian predecessor building. It was realized as a three-aisled gallery basilica with a flat-roofed central nave and groin-vaulted side aisles. The wall structure is unique among the churches in Cologne that are preserved today. Under the cross altar in front of the choir there was a vaulted reliquary chamber; A new monastery building was added to the west.

The completion of the tower is believed to have been around 1230. Around this time, the north aisle received fan windows. A successful fundraising campaign in the diocese of Paderborn made it possible to add the large Gothic choir on the east side of the basilica around 1247/1267. It was completed towards the end of the 13th century, but apparently not used by canons and canons until the second half of the 14th century. Its eleven (sic!) Windows surround the choir like a "glass shrine". Before 1300, a second aisle was added on the south side of the basilica, the so-called Marienkapelle. Towards the end of the 15th century, the church underwent extensive renovations; After a storm damage, the spire was initially provided with a late Gothic buckled helmet.

An important work of the Gothic School of Painting in Cologne was created in 1464, donated by Johann von Hirtze and created by the master of the life of Mary . The majority of the work is now in the Munich Pinakothek .

Baroque era

The 17th century brought serious alterations for St. Ursula in line with contemporary tastes. The medieval rood screen was torn down, the church received new tracery windows and baroque relic boxes between the service bundles .

The golden chamber. The four walls of the walk-in reliquary chamber are covered by the largest mosaic made from human bones.

The famous “golden chamber” for storing relics was donated in 1643 by the imperial councilor Johann Krane and his wife Verena Hegemihler, as was the Nikolauskapelle on the north side. Nikolaus de Groote followed with the foundation of the southern Johann Baptist Chapel.

After a fire on the roofs made repairs necessary in 1680, the sturdy west tower was given a baroque hood with a “British crown”, which was supposed to remind of the origins of St. Ursula. In 1767 an attempt was made to achieve a uniform spatial impression by walling up the aisle galleries towards the central nave and adding late baroque fresco paintings.

Dissolution and decline

In 1802, St. Ursula shared the fate of all the monasteries in Cologne. As part of the secularization , it was abolished and in 1804 assigned to the parish of St. Maria Ablass as a parish church, the previous parish church was demolished except for a chapel. The basilica was in a desolate and statically questionable condition and was initially partially restored by the community in 1810. City architect Weyer had the porch arch of the church tower walled up in 1832 to prevent it from collapsing.

In the second half of the 19th century, the basilica was largely restored to its original Romanesque state. J. Osten gave the interior a "well-intentioned, but incomprehensible oil painting." This was removed a generation later. The tower was also restored in 1890–91.

Destruction in World War II and reconstruction

In 1942, all the roofs of the basilica burned after bombing. At the end of the war, the vault, tower, parts of the south aisle and the choir were badly damaged; St. Ursula was a ruin.

Despite the destruction, the congregation celebrated its services in an emergency room below the tower; Even before the currency reform , reconstruction began in 1949 under the direction of the architect Karl Band . This work dragged on until 1972. While the vaults were being reconstructed in the Gothic choir, the restoration of the late Gothic vaulting was not done in the central nave of the Romanesque nave; only the partially figurative consoles remained in place. According to Karl Band's designs, a flat, vaulted wooden coffered ceiling was installed, which reveals the Romanesque structure of the upper aisle. Flat ceilings were also given to the cross annexes in the north and south. 1972 to 1978 the restoration of the treasure chamber ("golden chamber") in the south wing of the west building followed. The roof landscape of the nave and choir was designed in a very differentiated and elegant manner; In 1964 the choir received a roof ridge with two knobs based on a design by Karl Matthäus Winter . From 1960 to 1962, the Romanesque west tower was given back the baroque dome with lantern and crown.

Around the turn of the century from 1999 to 2004, a comprehensive restoration was carried out under the direction of architect Rolf Link, in order to make the Marienkapelle and the south aisle accessible again in full length and to open it up to the church interior. After the organ from the post-war period was dismantled, the western gallery could also be experienced again as a sacred space for the first time; another treasury was set up here. The nave and choir were given a new color scheme; the wooden ceilings from the post-war period were painted light gray.

Memorial to contemporary martyrs

In 2003 the idea developed to create a memorial for the Cologne martyrs of the 20th century in the Basilica of St. Ursula. As a counterpoint to the historic church, a small, modern chapel room was created in front of the apse of the southern cross annex, in the axis of the nave of Mary. This chapel room consists of a double-shell, slightly transparent canvas construction with the names, dates and quotations of the martyrs printed on the inside. Erected in the brightest part of the church, the resulting prayer room shines out of itself. Construction began in 2003 and the completed chapel panels were erected in 2005. The company “Kister Scheithauer Groß - Architekten und Urbaner GmbH” from Cologne and Leipzig was responsible for the execution of the project. In 2006 a knife attack was carried out on the chapel room during a mass and several canvases were cut in the process. In 2008 the chapel room was awarded the Artheon Art Prize.

Ursula legend

Cologne coat of arms

The legend about St. Ursula accompanying the origin of the basilica is remarkable . There are numerous variations of it, the essential elements of which are the same. Among other things, it combines accounts of early martyr virgins and the legend of the Pinnosa. According to the core of the legend, Ursula is said to have been traveling up the Rhine with eleven companions . These eleven virgins then become eleven thousand in the course of history (perhaps against the background of the skeleton finds in the neighboring Roman burial ground and the lively relics trade in the Middle Ages ). Their voyage took them to Basel , from where they made a pilgrimage to Rome. The receiving Pope Cyriakus (possibly Pope Siricius ) joined them for the return journey. Ursula's bridegroom Aetherius was finally baptized in Mainz and from there the company made its way to Cologne, which was besieged by the Huns. Because the virgins refused to marry the non-Christian Huns, they and their companions were murdered.

This legend had a significant impact and the relics venerated in the basilica only lost their prominence in the religious life of Cologne and the pilgrims visiting the city when the remains of the Three Kings were transferred from Milan to Cologne in 1164 .

Both veneration of saints were representative of the Cologne coat of arms: the three crowns in the upper field symbolize the three kings, eleven flames represent the eleven (thousand) martyrs of the Ursula legend. In addition to the Three Kings and St. Gereon , St. Ursula is the city patroness of Cologne.

Building description and equipment

St. Ursula Cologne, Pieta

Bronze door (west entrance of the church)

St. Ursula is the oldest three-aisled gallery basilica on the Lower Rhine . The western main facade, the massive western tower with a Baroque hood, the adjoining vestibule and the nave are Romanesque. The choir is an early Gothic extension.

The basilica suffered significant damage in World War II , which was not repaired until 1972. Despite lasting losses, it is a relatively richly furnished church, whose Romanesque origins can be clearly seen. The vestibule is accessed through the west portal adorned with a bronze door, which was created by Theo Heinermann in 1959. In the door you can see scenes from the Ursula legend. A stone Pietà dated around 1420 has been preserved in the vestibule behind . The sculptures in the south aisle, such as St. Ursula as a protective cloak figure (1465) with the iconographic appearance of depictions of the Virgin Mary. The St. Ursula sarcophagus in the north transept dates from the first half of the 15th century . The baroque covering is a donation from the imperial council Johannes Crane and his wife Verena from the year 1659. The figures of St. John and St. Mary placed in the south transverse space date from around 1500 . The stone Madonna and St. Nicholas are dated from around 1330. Reliquary busts are placed in the galleries of the main nave. In it are the Ursulas and Aetherius shrines on the Gothic high altar. In the choir is also the picture cycle of the Ursula legend (around 1456 from Stefan Lochner's school ). The presentation consists of 24 panels with 30 images. This so-called “Great Ursula Cycle” was donated by the van Scheyven brothers (inscription above scenes 29 and 30). The individual images are labeled with explanatory subtitles, but not all of these are original. In the 18th century the missing titles were added together with the coat of arms. Furthermore, the Viventiasarcophagus (12th century), the crucifixus dolorosus (2nd half of the 14th century) and the figures of Mary and John of the triumphal cross group on the front pillars of the Gothic apse (around 1500) date from the Middle Ages. Viventia (d. 639) was the 3rd daughter of Pippin the Elder . Her coffin is placed on 4 pillars so as not to contradict the prophecy from the Clematius inscription. Legend has it that the sarcophagus was hurled twice from a grave in the church. The “golden chamber” to the side of the vestibule is impressive. Many reliquary busts from the period between the 13th and 18th centuries are lined up here; the walls are adorned with patterns made of bones up to the vaulted ceiling.

The basilica was reopened in December 2004 after over five years of renovation. The ship of the Virgin Mary built in the 15th century and the so-called abbess choir are accessible again. In the east of the Marienschiff, the memorial for martyrs of the 20th century, mainly victims of the Nazi regime, planned by the architects Kister / Scheidhauer / Groß was opened. The preservation of St. Ursula is supported by the Friends of Roman Churches in Cologne .

organ

Following the interior renovation of St. Ursula, the community ordered an organ from an organ builder in Bautzen in 2004 , which was originally built as an interim instrument for the Nikolaikirche (Leipzig) . The organ was built in the Italian style and cost € 200,000. In any case, the Archdiocese of Cologne had not approved the purchase contract in writing; so the parish received no subsidy from the diocese and could only pay the first installment. Due to a court settlement, the municipality had to return the instrument to the organ builder in 2006 and pay € 30,000 in compensation for use.

View of the organ

The existing small organ was not sufficient for the sound in the church, so that the construction of a new, larger organ was continued. After receiving a donation in the amount of 150,000 €, a support association was founded, which finally awarded the contract to build a new organ to the organ builder Andreas J. Schiegnitz (Albsheim / Grünstadt) at a price of 570,000 €.

In 2011 the new instrument was set up on the south pore. It has 32 stops on two manuals and a pedal . The playing and register actions are mechanical. The instrument has a setting system that intervenes electromagnetically in the register mechanism. The paddocks are built as an alternating footstep / stop pull.

The organ has two mechanical console tables , the Ursula and the Mary console. In addition, the first manual of the organ has a principal tuned to a medium tone .

I main work C – a ³
01.	Principal	16 ′
02.	Principal	08th'
03.	Copel	08th'
04th	Hollow flute	08th'
05.	Gamba	08th'
06th	Octave	04 ′
07th	Flauto douce	04 ′
08th.	Fifth	02 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
09.	Octave	02 ′
10.	Flageolet	02 ′
11.	third	01 ³ ⁄ ₅  ′
12.	Sifflet	01'
13.	Mixture major III-VI	01 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′
14th	Trombones	08th'
	Principal (mid-tone)	08th'

II Swell C – a ⁴
15th	bassoon	16 ′
16.	Violin principal 00	08th'
17th	viola	08th'
18th	Voix céleste	08th'
19th	Bourdon	08th'
20th	Transverse flute	08th'
21st	Fugara	04 ′
22nd	flute	04 ′
23.	Larigot	01 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′
24.	Mixture minor III	02 ′
25th	horn	08th'
26th	oboe	08th'
	Tremulant

Pedal C – f ¹
27.	Violon	16 ′
28.	Sub-bass	16 ′
29	Octave bass	08th'
30th	Covered bass 00	08th'
31.	Tenor Cantus	04 ′
32.	trombone	08th'

Playing aids :

Ursula game table

Normal coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P

Octave coupling: Super II / I, Super II / II, Super II / P, Sub II / I

Swell step "South", swell step "North"

Marian game table

Coupling: II / I, I / P

Swell step "south"

Bells

The six bells were cast by Hans Hüesker (Bell foundry Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock ) from Gescher in 1962. The ringing is one of the largest in town. A carillon from the Eijsbouts (Asten) bell foundry hangs in the tower lantern . Every Friday at 3 p.m., the Marienglocke commemorates the hour of Christ's death. For the Angelus at 12 noon and 6 p.m., the Mary's bell rings three times, then the smallest bell rings. The full bells only sound on high feasts ; the big Ursula bell does not ring on Sundays.

No.	Surname	Ø (mm)	Mass (kg)	Nominal (16th note)	Inscription (translation from Latin)
1	Ursula	1792	3680	a ⁰ +3	"St. Ursula, you and your virginal band are recommended to all of Cologne pleading for protection. With your companions, guard this hometown, which you have consecrated with your chaste life and the devotion of your blood. May the lamp of faith illuminate every spirit, hope give unshakable courage and love connect hearts! - 1943 - In the air war I sank Glocke to rubble so that I could no longer complain about the end of the disaster. - 1962 - The city council, endeavoring to honor the city patroness, restored me from public funds. "
2	Maria	1506	2100	c ¹ +3	"St. Maria, trusting you as her mother, Cologne repeats your praise from Engelsmund incessantly. You were received in grace, grace made you a mother and grace and life came through your son. Grace is bestowed upon us as often as you, Queen, ask of him who always remains grace itself. "
3	Cunibertus	1340	1400	d ¹ +3	"St. Kunibert, bishop of the city and wise advisor, has helped so many in body and soul; let him help us to care for all true salvation and teach us to seek the kingdom of God. "
4th	Henricus	1140	940	f ¹ +2	"St. Heinrich knew how to protect the rights of heaven and earth at the same time when he was at the head of St. Reich said: he come to our aid so that power may respect justice and order among the citizens and peace and security among the peoples. "
5	Hermann Joseph	1010	650	g ¹ +3	"St. Hermann Joseph has often stayed in our church consecrated to the virgins: he, whose heart was untouched by evil, guarded our children so that they grow in pure strength and learn how much they should love virtue. "
6th	Hedwig	900	430	a ¹ +3	"St. Hedwig, St. Woman, through your intercession, seek help and sadness to the displaced. They create a bulwark of faith and ward off the great dangers that threaten us from the realm of godlessness. "

photos

Nave and choir
Choir and shrines
South aisle (Marienschiff)
Protective mantle figure of St. Ursula
tabernacle
Golden chamber with altar
Golden Chamber
Mural
South pore with organ
This is a model of the ship that tradition says the martyrs came from Britain with

literature

in alphabetical order by authors / editors

Sabine Czymmek: The Cologne Romanesque churches, treasure art, Volume 2 = Colonia Romanica. Yearbook of the Friends of Roman Churches Cologne e. V., 23rd Cologne 2009. ISBN 978-3-7743-0422-2 , pp. 225-289.
Heinz Firmenich: St. Ursula and the Maria-Ablaß-Kapelle in Cologne . Rhenish Association for Monument Preservation and Landscape Protection, Cologne 1976. ISBN 3-88094-150-5 .
Hiltrud Kier : The Romanesque churches in Cologne: Guide to history and furnishings. Second edition. JP Bachem, Cologne 2014, ISBN 978-3-7616-2842-3 , pp. 194-209.
Hiltrud Kier, Ulrich Krings : The Romanesque churches in Cologne . Vista Point Verlag, Cologne 1991. ISBN 3-88973-601-7 .
Ulrich Krings, Otmar Schwab: Cologne: The Romanesque churches. Destruction and restoration = traces of the city - monuments in Cologne 2. JP Bachem, Cologne 2007. ISBN 978-3-7616-1964-3 .
Jürgen Kaiser (text), Florian Monheim (photos): The large Romanesque churches in Cologne . Greven Verlag, Cologne 2013. ISBN 978-3-7743-0615-8 , p. 162 ff.
Karen Artist: St. Ursula. The church buildings from the 4th to the 12th century . In: Hiltrud Kier, Ulrich Krings (Hrsg.): Cologne: The Roman churches. From the beginnings to the Second World War = traces of the city - monuments in Cologne 2. JP Bachem, Cologne 1984. ISBN 3-7616-0761-X ; Pp. 518-522.
Karen Artist: St. Ursula. Church construction in the 12th century and its design up to the Second World War . In: Hiltrud Kier, Ulrich Krings (Hrsg.): Cologne: The Roman churches. From the beginnings to the Second World War = traces of the city - monuments in Cologne 2. JP Bachem, Cologne 1984. ISBN 3-7616-0761-X ; Pp. 523-545.
Gernot Nürnberger: The excavations in St. Ursula in Cologne . Dissertation, Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität , Bonn 2002.
Werner Schäfke : Cologne's Romanesque churches. Architecture art history . Emons, Cologne 2004. ISBN 3-89705-321-7 .
Regina Urbanek: The Golden Chamber of St. Ursula in Cologne. On the design and furnishings from the Middle Ages to the Baroque = workbooks of the Rheinische Denkmalpflege 76. Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft , Worms 2010. ISBN 978-3-88462-306-0 .
Sybille Fraquelli: St. Ursula Cologne. 1st edition 2010. Verlag Schnell & Steiner GmbH, Regensburg. ISBN 978-3-7954-6847-7