Entry Wk 14.1

     When I lived in Germany my family and I traveled the local areas as well as a few of the conjoining countries. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see any of the art museums in Germany, but we did visit countless castles and cathedrals. In Trier is a Cathedral that dates back to when the town was a Roman post. It is said to have been founded by Constantine’s mother as she traveled throughout the down world as an ambassador of the new religion. Of the artifacts entrusted there is a sliver of the “True Cross” as well as Jesus’ tunic that the Roman soldiers gambled for. Unfortunately all of my pictures from here were taken on a friend’s camera and I wasn’t able to get copies before they moved. The cathedral at Trier is the most amazing one that I saw while I lived in Europe, including the famed Notre Dame.

 

     Another cathedral I visited was that in Mainz. The cathedral was constructed from sandstone and therefore is constantly undergoing restoration, because the stone deteriorates rapidly (relative to other stone). Inside there the walls were lined with small private chapels which were really out coves that had individual alters, confessionals and pews for patrons and their families to have private masses way from, well, the masses. Each of these chapels were comprised of three walls build into the design of the cathedral and were decorated with hand carved wood, stone, and paintings that often predated the renaissance.

    


      Among the renovations were the stain glass windows. In addition to the stereotypical depictions of religious scenes, the windows chronicled the lineage of Bishops that served there from the time it was originally built.

Amungs the statuary and other artifacts are three murals that had been destroyed and repainted so many times that in the 19th century they were painted on canvas and adhered to the stone surface of the wall. Sense then, each time the wall is effected by renovation the canvas is simply removed, stored, and replaced.