The
Lübeck Cathedral is a large
brickA brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using mortar.-History:The oldest shaped bricks found date back to 7,500 B.C. They have been found in Çayönü, in the upper Tigris region, and in south east Anatolia close to Diyarbakir. Other more recent findings,...
Lutheran cathedral in
LübeckThe Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage is on UNESCO's list of World...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and part of Lübeck's world heritage. It was started in 1173 by
Henry the LionHenry the Lion was a member of the Guelph dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
as a cathedral for the Bishop of Lübeck. It was partly destroyed in a
bombing raid in World War II (1942)Lübeck was bombed for the first time by the Royal Air Force on the night of 28/29 March 1942. It was the first major success for RAF Bomber Command against a German city.-Main raid:...
, and later reconstructed. The
organThe organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet...
by
Arp SchnitgerArp Schnitger was a highly influential German organ builder. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, especially the Netherlands and Germany, where a number of his instruments survive to the present day; his organs can also be found as far away as Portugal and Brazil.Notable examples still in...
was lost in the fire. The current church was finished in 1982.
It is also famous for works of
Bernt Notke' was the most important German painter and sculptor in Northern Europe in his times....
and
Thomas QuellinusThomas Quellinus, also known, especially in Denmark, as Thomas Qvellinus, , was a Flemish baroque sculptor who worked mainly in Copenhagen, Denmark...
, which survived the bombing raid in 1942.
The
Lübeck Cathedral is a large
brickA brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using mortar.-History:The oldest shaped bricks found date back to 7,500 B.C. They have been found in Çayönü, in the upper Tigris region, and in south east Anatolia close to Diyarbakir. Other more recent findings,...
Lutheran cathedral in
LübeckThe Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage is on UNESCO's list of World...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and part of Lübeck's world heritage. It was started in 1173 by
Henry the LionHenry the Lion was a member of the Guelph dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
as a cathedral for the Bishop of Lübeck. It was partly destroyed in a
bombing raid in World War II (1942)Lübeck was bombed for the first time by the Royal Air Force on the night of 28/29 March 1942. It was the first major success for RAF Bomber Command against a German city.-Main raid:...
, and later reconstructed. The
organThe organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet...
by
Arp SchnitgerArp Schnitger was a highly influential German organ builder. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, especially the Netherlands and Germany, where a number of his instruments survive to the present day; his organs can also be found as far away as Portugal and Brazil.Notable examples still in...
was lost in the fire. The current church was finished in 1982.
It is also famous for works of
Bernt Notke' was the most important German painter and sculptor in Northern Europe in his times....
and
Thomas QuellinusThomas Quellinus, also known, especially in Denmark, as Thomas Qvellinus, , was a Flemish baroque sculptor who worked mainly in Copenhagen, Denmark...
, which survived the bombing raid in 1942. The famous altar by
Hans MemlingHans Memling was a German-born Early Netherlandish painter.- Life and works :...
is now in Lübeck's
St. Annen MuseumThe monastery of Saint Annen in Lübeck-Germany is a former monastery of the Augustinians. It is now part of the Lübeck's museum for history of art and culture...
.
Aerial View:
http://www.myluebeck.com/images/bilder/dom-luebeck.jpg
Construction
In 1173
Henry the LionHenry the Lion was a member of the Guelph dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
founded the cathedral to serve the Diocese of Lübeck, after the transfer in 1160 of the bishop's seat from Oldenburg in Holstein under bishop Gerold.
The then
RomanesqueRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe, characterised by semi-circular arches, and evolving into the Gothic style, characterised by pointed arches, beginning in the 12th century...
cathedral was completed around 1230, but between 1266 and 1335 it was converted into a
GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
-style building with side-aisles raised to the same height as the main aisle (around 20m).
On the night of
Palm SundayPalm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast which always falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. The feast commemorates an event mentioned by all four Canonical Gospels , , , and : the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion...
(28-29 March) 1942 a bombing raid destroyed a fifth of the town centre. Several bombs fell in the area around the church, causing the eastern vault of the
quireArchitecturally, the choir is the area of a church or cathedral, usually in the western part of the chancel between the nave and the sanctuary . The choir is occasionally located in the eastern part of the nave...
to collapse and destroying the
altarAn altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religious purposes, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place. Altars are usually found at a shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
which dated from 1696. A fire from the neighbouring cathedral museum spread to the
trussIn architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight slender members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and...
of the cathedral, and around noon on Palm Sunday the towers collapsed. An
Arp SchnitgerArp Schnitger was a highly influential German organ builder. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, especially the Netherlands and Germany, where a number of his instruments survive to the present day; his organs can also be found as far away as Portugal and Brazil.Notable examples still in...
organThe pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and loudness throughout the keyboard compass...
was lost in the flames. Nevertheless, a relatively large portion of the internal fittings was saved, including the cross and almost all of the medieval
polyptychA polyptych generally refers to a painting which is divided into multiple sections, or panels. A polyptych (from the Greek polu- "many" + ptychē "fold") generally refers to a painting (usually panel painting) which is divided into multiple sections, or panels. A polyptych (from the Greek polu-...
s. In 1946 a further collapse, of the
gableA gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns...
of the north
transeptFull descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are found at the entry Cathedral diagram.
For the periodical go to The Transept....
, destroyed the
vestibuleA vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
almost completely.
Reconstruction
Reconstruction of the cathedral took several decades, as greater priority was given to the rebuilding of the Marienkirche. Work was completed only in 1982.
In 2002 a symposium took place in conjunction with the Lübeck Academy of Music to consider the reconstruction of the
Arp SchnitgerArp Schnitger was a highly influential German organ builder. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, especially the Netherlands and Germany, where a number of his instruments survive to the present day; his organs can also be found as far away as Portugal and Brazil.Notable examples still in...
organ. It was concluded that such a reconstruction would be possible, but no decision has yet been taken. The discussion follows a research project at the university in
GöteborgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest amongst the Nordic countries. Situated on the south-west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 502,833 with 622,287 in the urban area and total of 911,406 inhabitants in the metropolitan area.The City of...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
where a reconstruction of the Lübeck organ has been going on since the mid-1990s. That reconstruction was concluded in 2001 with installation of the replica, including a replica of the organ front, in an earlier abandoned church from the late 1890s, Örgryte church. The church is now rebuilt as a concert hall.
The cathedral is unique in that at 105 m, it is shorter than the tallest church in the city. This is the consequence of a power struggle between the church and the
guildA guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade.The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel and a secret society...
s.
Fixtures
The 17 m
crucifixA crucifix is a cross with a representation of Jesus' body, or corpus. It is a principal symbol of the Christian religion...
is the work of the Lübeck artist
Bernt Notke' was the most important German painter and sculptor in Northern Europe in his times....
. It was commissioned by the bishop of Lübeck, Albert II. Krummendiek, and erected in 1477. The carvings which decorate the
rood screenThe rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate screen, constructed of wood, stone or wrought iron; which would originally have been surmounted by a rood loft carrying the Great Rood, a sculptural representation of the Crucifixion...
are also by Notke.
Since the war, the famous
altarAn altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religious purposes, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place. Altars are usually found at a shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
of
Hans MemlingHans Memling was a German-born Early Netherlandish painter.- Life and works :...
has been in the medieval collection of the
St. Annen MuseumThe monastery of Saint Annen in Lübeck-Germany is a former monastery of the Augustinians. It is now part of the Lübeck's museum for history of art and culture...
, but notable
polyptychA polyptych generally refers to a painting which is divided into multiple sections, or panels. A polyptych (from the Greek polu- "many" + ptychē "fold") generally refers to a painting (usually panel painting) which is divided into multiple sections, or panels. A polyptych (from the Greek polu-...
s remain in the cathedral.
In the funeral chapels of the southern aisle are
BaroqueBaroque is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes in...
-era memorials by the
FlemishThe Flemish people , the Flemings or the Flemish are the over six million people of Flanders, the northern region of the country Belgium — and the majority of all Belgians....
sculptor
Thomas QuellinusThomas Quellinus, also known, especially in Denmark, as Thomas Qvellinus, , was a Flemish baroque sculptor who worked mainly in Copenhagen, Denmark...
.
One of the most famous inscriptions inside the Cathedral is a poem:
Ye call Me Master and obey me not,
Ye call Me Light and see Me not,
Ye call Me Way and walk not,
Ye call Me Life and desire Me not,
Ye call Me wise and follow Me not,
Ye call Me fair and love Me not,
Ye call Me rich and ask Me not,
Ye call Me eternal and seek Me not,
Ye call Me gracious and trust Me not,
Ye call Me noble and serve Me not,
Ye call Me mighty and honor Me not,
Ye call Me just and fear Me not,
If I condemn you, blame me not.
Anonymous
Legend
According to
legendA legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
, in the 8th century
CharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe...
was hunting in
SaxonyLower Saxony lies in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen Bundesländer of Germany...
and chased a huge
deerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. They include for example Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe and Chital. Animals from related families within the order Artiodactyla are often also considered to be deer – these include muntjac and water deer...
. After a long pursuit he succeeded in capturing the animal but neither killed nor kept it. Instead he took a gold chain and laid it on the deer's antlers.
Four hundred years later the
WendsThe term Wends or Wendish is used in Germanic languages for Slavs living near or within Germanic settlement areas after the migration period...
and
SaxonsThe Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north...
had converted to Christianity, and the man now out hunting was
Henry the LionHenry the Lion was a member of the Guelph dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
, the founder of Lübeck. Henry had separated himself from his followers in order to be alone with his thoughts. He wanted to build a church, but lacked the necessary funds. At that moment a great deer appeared before him with a diamond-encrusted crucifix in its antlers. He took this as a sign from God, and shot the animal. He took the cross from its antlers; hardly had he done so when the deer rose up and disappeared into the bushes. The young duke now had enough money for the construction of the church.
Cathedral and congregation today
The cathedral is now one of the three episcopal churches of the
North Elbian Evangelical ChurchThe North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church is a Protestant church in Northern Germany, which largely covers the area of the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg where it is the most important Protestant denomination. Bishops of the Lutheran church are Maria Jepsen and Gerhard Ulrich...
. Since 2001 the bishop has been Bärbel Wartenberg-Potter.
The congregation is closely connected with the musical life of the city. Thanks to the long-serving
organistAn organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and
cantorA cantor or chanter is the chief singer employed in a church with responsibilities for the ecclesiastical choir; also called the precentor....
Uwe Röhl (1925-2005), the cathedral plays host to the
Schleswig-Holstein Musik FestivalThe Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival is a classical music festival held every year in summer time all over the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany....
.