Stephansbursa
The Stephansbursa , also Stephansburse , is part of the imperial regalia of the Holy Roman Empire . It is a reliquary in the shape of a pilgrim's bag , which supposedly contains earth from Jerusalem that is soaked with the blood of Saint Stephen .
The front of the Stephansbursa is richly set with precious stones. The sides show four medallions : a goddess of vengeance, a fisherman, a falcon hunter and a bird caterer. It is a Carolingian work, probably from the first third of the 9th century.
At the coronation in Aachen, the Stephansbursa was initially the only imperial gem on the sideboard. After the actual coronation act, it was placed in a cavity in the throne, on which the emperor then sat. The crowned one was enthroned on earth from the Holy City, which was also sanctified by the blood of the martyrs.
Together with the imperial gospel and the saber of Charlemagne , it is one of three imperial regalia that were traditionally kept in Aachen . 1794 they were before the advancing troops of Napoleon first to Paderborn brought to safety. In 1801 they came to Vienna in the secular treasury . From 1938 to 1946 the Stephansbursa was in Nuremberg and then it was brought back to Vienna. Today there is a replica of the bursa in Aachen.
literature
- Ernst Günther Grimme : Goldsmithing in the Middle Ages. Form and meaning of the reliquary from 800 to 1500. M. DuMont Schauberg, Cologne 1972, ISBN 3-7701-0669-5 , pp. 23–24.
- Ernst Günther Grimme (text), Ann Münchow (recordings): The Aachen Cathedral Treasure (= Aachener Kunstblätter. H. 42). Schwann, Düsseldorf 1973, No. 6, pp. 11-12.
- Jan Keupp , Hans Reither, Peter Pohlit, Katharina Schober, Stefan Weinfurter (eds.): "... die keyerlichen zeychen ..." The imperial regalia - emblems of the Holy Roman Empire. Schnell + Steiner, Regensburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7954-2002-4 .
- Sabine Haag (ed.): Masterpieces of the Secular Treasury (= short guide through the Kunsthistorisches Museum. 2). Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 2009, ISBN 978-3-85497-169-6 .
