Goslar Cathedral
Encyclopedia
The church known as Goslar Cathedral was the Collegiate Church
of St. Simon and St. Jude in the town of Goslar
in central Germany
. It was built between 1040 and 1050 and stood in the district of the Imperial Palace of Goslar
. It was demolished in 1819–1822. Today only the porch of the north portal remains. It was a church of Benedictine
canons. The description "cathedral" became common in the modern era and is misleading because the collegiate church was never the seat of a bishop
.
, initially flat-roofed basilica
with an alternation of piers and columns. The walls were made of limestone blocks. It had a westwork
with two low, octagonal towers and the main entrance and three eastern apses. The crypt
was under the chancel
. Above the crossing of nave and transept
was another tower. The design of the cathedral was the prototype for many subsequent church buildings of the Middle Ages.
In the 12th century, the flat roof was replaced by a vaulted roof. Around 1200, the cathedral porch, now the only surviving part of the building, was added and the main entrance re-located here. In the Gothic period the church was extended to the north with a fourth nave and the chancel was altered.
Amongst the furnishings of the cathedral were the bronze Krodo Altar
and Imperial Throne of Goslar
from the 11th century that have survived to the present day.
The church was dedicated to St. Simon and St. Jude whose saints day fell on the birthday of Emperor Henry III, who often stayed in Goslar. He directed the building of the cathdral. A few years later he founded the Church of St. Peter in Goslar which has not survived.
By 1819 the cathedral had fallen into ruin and, due to a lack of funding for its repair, was sold at auction to a craftsman who used it as "quarry" and had largely demolished it by 1822. Only the cathedral porch was preserved.
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
of St. Simon and St. Jude in the town of Goslar
Goslar
Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
in central Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was built between 1040 and 1050 and stood in the district of the Imperial Palace of Goslar
Imperial Palace of Goslar
The Imperial Palace of Goslar is a historical building complex at the foot of the Rammelsberg hill in the south of the town of Goslar north of the Harz mountains, central Germany. It covers an area of about 340 by 180 metres and stands. The palace grounds originally included the Kaiserhaus, the...
. It was demolished in 1819–1822. Today only the porch of the north portal remains. It was a church of Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
canons. The description "cathedral" became common in the modern era and is misleading because the collegiate church was never the seat of a bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
.
Design
The cathedral was built to a standard design in the shape of a three-naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, initially flat-roofed basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
with an alternation of piers and columns. The walls were made of limestone blocks. It had a westwork
Westwork
A westwork is the monumental, west-facing entrance section of a Carolingian, Ottonian, or Romanesque church. The exterior consists of multiple stories between two towers. The interior includes an entrance vestibule, a chapel, and a series of galleries overlooking the nave...
with two low, octagonal towers and the main entrance and three eastern apses. The crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
was under the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
. Above the crossing of nave and transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
was another tower. The design of the cathedral was the prototype for many subsequent church buildings of the Middle Ages.
History
The church was consecrated on 2 July 1051 by Archbishop Hermann of Cologne. At that time it was the largest Romanesque church east of the Rhine.In the 12th century, the flat roof was replaced by a vaulted roof. Around 1200, the cathedral porch, now the only surviving part of the building, was added and the main entrance re-located here. In the Gothic period the church was extended to the north with a fourth nave and the chancel was altered.
Amongst the furnishings of the cathedral were the bronze Krodo Altar
Krodo Altar
The Krodo Altar in Goslar, Germany, is an altar made entirely of bronze and is the only surviving metal church altar from the Romanesque period. It was probably made in the late 11th century and is named after the Germanic "pseudo-god", Krodo. It was originally in the Collegiate Church of St....
and Imperial Throne of Goslar
Imperial Throne of Goslar
The imperial throne at Goslar was made in the second half of the 11th century and was the throne of German emperors and kings in the Collegiate Church of St. Simon and St. Jude , which stood in the grounds of the Imperial Palace of Goslar...
from the 11th century that have survived to the present day.
The church was dedicated to St. Simon and St. Jude whose saints day fell on the birthday of Emperor Henry III, who often stayed in Goslar. He directed the building of the cathdral. A few years later he founded the Church of St. Peter in Goslar which has not survived.
By 1819 the cathedral had fallen into ruin and, due to a lack of funding for its repair, was sold at auction to a craftsman who used it as "quarry" and had largely demolished it by 1822. Only the cathedral porch was preserved.
Local situation
The cathedral was part of the palace district of the imperial and royal palace at Goslar. It was thus close connected with other buildings in the area like the Aula regia (Imperial Hall or Kaiserhaus), the Church of Our Lady (demolished), the Chapel of St. Ulrich and the Curia buildings that were all close together. Immediately adjacent to the cathedral were the cloister and refectory, the chapter and the granarium.Significant historical events
- In 1056 Pope Victor II and Emperor Henry III met in Goslar and visited the church.
- In 1063 on the occasion of a princes' diet in Goslar there was an armed conflict in the church in the presence of Emperor Henry IV between the followers of the Bishop of Hildesheim and the Abbot of Fulda which resulted in some deaths. It became known as Goslar's Bloody Pentecost (also the Goslar Precedence DisputeGoslar Precedence DisputeThe Goslar Precedence Dispute escalated at Pentecost in 1063 in the Goslar Collegiate Church of St. Simon and St. Jude from a dispute over the order of seating into an armed confrontation which resulted in several deaths...
) - In 1154 Rainald of DasselRainald of DasselRainald of Dassel was archbishop of Cologne from 1159 to 1167 and archchancellor of Italy. He was preceded as archbishop by Friedrich II of Berg and succeeded by Philip I von Heinsberg....
assumes the provostship.
Sources
- Griep, Hans-Günther (1988). Goslar - Der Pfalzbezirk, Verlag Goslarsche Zeitung, Goslar
- Gutmann, Christopf and Schadach, Volker (2002). Kaiserpfalz Goslar, Verlag Volker Schadach, Goslar ISBN 3-928728-52-0
- Griep, Hans-Günther (1967). Goslars Pfalzbezirk und die Domkurien. Manuskript für die Mitglieder des Museumsvereins Goslar e.V., Goslar