Aachen Cathedral blends original Carolingian elements with later mostly Gothic decorations and additions as well as modern Byzantine-style mosaics.
Aachen Cathedral is one of the shiniest cathedrals in Germany. The interior shows an unusual amount of gold while the Byzantine-style mosaics add color and bling to what is in part a fairly dark building. The core of the cathedral is an octagon built by Charlemagne around AD 800. The lower level is fairly dark with low vaults, as it is the upper floor with tall arcs and high vaulting that was used by the emperor and high nobility. The choir and chapels are mostly Gothic additions. Many reliquaries and historic artworks are now in the treasury but the shrine of Charlemagne, the Mary reliquary, and other medieval works in the choir still impress.
The use of the other rooms in the westwork is not clear anymore but may have been linked to baptism and other ceremonies. Charlemagne originally was probably buried in one of these rooms in a sarcophagus from antiquity now preserved in the treasury.
The core of the Aachener Dom is still the original Carolingian octagonal chapel. At its center, the octagon soars to a 31.5-m high dome. This was for almost two centuries the highest dome in Europe north of the Alps. The 19th-century dome mosaic and painting depict the same scene as the Carolingian original but is not a direct copy.
The second level of the octagon has eight arches with ancient pillars brought from St Gereon in Cologne (and possibly other ancient sites too). These are purely of decorative value and not part of the structure, as was shown when Napoleon had these pillars taken out and transported to Paris. Eventually, most were returned to Aachen but a few are still in the Louvre and replaced by modern copies. The bronze railings are the original Carolingian work.
The original imperial throne is on this floor, which can only be seen on a guided tour. See The Throne of Charlemagne in Aachen for more details.
The chandelier symbolizes the Heavenly Jerusalem with the ring the city walls with eight city gates and eight towers (four too many but aesthetics demanded by the octagonal shape of the chapel overruled scripture!).
Only four of these Romanesque ring chandeliers survived in Germany – at least 37 are known to have existed. One is in Comburg (near Stuttgart) and the other two are in Hildesheim, a city with remarkable UNESCO World Cultural Heritage-listed Romanesque churches.
The choir is a Gothic masterpiece. Its glass surface of around 1,000 m2 gives an impressive high glass-to-stone ratio and the nickname of the Aachen Glass House. The glass is modern, as the original was blown out during the Second World War.
More impressive gold work can be seen on the Heinrichskanzel (ambon) and the Pala d’Oro. The pulpit was donated by Henry II (Heinrich II), the last Ottonian emperor, in the early 11th century. The Pala d’Oro is from a similar period and was probably part of a larger altar. Both are highlights of the Ottonian Renaissance.
See Visiting the Choir of Aachen Cathedral for more details.
Next → The Throne of Charlemagne in Aachen Cathedral