Me, John and JF, a colleague of John’s took a ride to the city of Cologne one of Germany’s twelve oldest cities. Around 50 AD the Romans established the foundation of what has become Germany’s fourth largest city.
We arrive mid-morning and park basically in the basement of the Cologne Cathedral or the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter. First impression is…just WOW! The size of it is overwhelming.
The Cathedral had a rough beginning and life didn’t get much easier for the building as time marched on. It took over six hundred years to build it. The first foundation stone was laid in August of 1248. As in most large projects lack of funding and interest over time caused construction to be halted numerous times but it was finally finished in the year 1888.
It survived fourteen aerial bombs and 70 firebombs and several tank battles during course of World War II. The tall spires make a great landmark from the sky, though no longer the tallest building in the world, beaten out by the Eiffel Tower and the Washington Monument.
The stone work is absolutely amazing. There is so much detail to the outside sculptures we can’t wait to see the inside.
I mean check out these doors even!
Again with the…just WOW! The building is constructed in a cross formation so there are several of these long halls to look down.
The 19th century and modern stained glass windows are amazing. None of my pictures do them justice. These turned out the best.
The treasures just keep coming.
The detail of the artwork astounds me. The time and care that was put in to each display is impressive.
I did not figure out what this structure is but again, wow.
This is a statue of St. Christopher. He is located at the old entrance of the cathedral to welcome travelers.
But where are the dead guys you may ask? We did find one of them. Talk about surreal. To view what is thought to be one of the Three Kings that travelled to see Jesus. There apparently is a shrine dedicated to the Three Kings, but I don’t know where it is hiding. You can view a picture of it here.
Even the floors of the Cathedral are ornate. I just can’t imagine laying the mosaics throughout this huge space.
When in churches, you always want to remember to look up.
Does anyone else think this guy looks like Santa Claus?
I found all kinds of nooks and crannies gated off from the public hiding on the main floor and in the basement. How I would love to know what these are all about.
This is the Altar of the Three Kings, again in one of those gated-off sections I can’t get too. *sigh*
This is a 10th century cross, its the oldest know large crucifix. See, you just aren’t going to see cool stuff like this in the US. We are just too young of a country.
No trip would be complete to a Catholic church without finding my favorite station of the cross. When Jesus falls for the first time. For me, its the turning point of his final journey, when the hero’s weakness is shown, and their courage and determination is displayed.
Throughout the day I took pictures of Cathedral admiring the way it changed color with the movement and setting of the sun. The first picture at the top of this post is mid-morning. This next picture is mid to late afternoon.
And finally the sunset on our day. Reminds me of the Southwestern United States. Sometimes the show isn’t in the sky, its on the rocks that surround you.
