Visiting Aachen, Germany (Aixe-la-Chapelle, France) with Savvy Mom Ruth Paget
I first saw Aachen Cathedral as a college student at the University of Chicago in my year-long “Art of the West” art history course. The black-and-white photograph of the octagonal Carolingian Chapel was the only image of the cathedral in H.W. Janson’s History of Art, yet I wanted to see Aachen Cathedral the minute I saw it.
I first saw Aachen Cathedral as a college student at the University of Chicago in my year-long “Art of the West” art history course. The black-and-white photograph of the octagonal Carolingian Chapel was the only image of the cathedral in H.W. Janson’s History of Art, yet I wanted to see Aachen Cathedral the minute I saw it.
Now almost
thirty years later, my husband Laurent and I have made an art pilgrimage to
Aachen, Germany known as Aix-la-Chapelle in French. Aachen lies close to the Belgian border and
houses the remains of Charlemagne (742 – 814), who ruled over modern-day France
and Germany as a united kingdom.
Division of these two lands came after his death as his various sons
inherited different parts of his kingdom.
Charlemagne
had Aachen Cathedral built to resemble the octagonal, sixth-century church of
San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. Ravenna
was part of the Byzantine Empire. By
modeling his cathedral on San Vitale, Charlemagne assumed the stature of a
Byzantine monarch, who was just as much a temporal ruler as a theocrat.
Another
element of Aachen Cathedral that is modeled after San Vitale is the use of
mosaics in the cupola and decoration of the church. The actual mosaics do not date from the time
of Charlemagne. However, they reflect
the high esteem and care that the parishioners of Aachen Cathedral feel for
their place of worship. Green marble covers the walls and patterned marble
covers the floor. The cathedral is
luxurious yet inviting at the same time.
Charlemagne’s
throne is visible on the second floor of the cathedral from the altar. Monarchs often sat on the second floor of churches to worship unobserved. Thirty German kings and twelve German queens
have been anointed and crowned on Charlemagne's throne according to the Concise Guide to Aachen Cathedral, which
is available for purchase in the cathedral entryway.
As we left
Aachen Cathedral, I thought of my art history classes and how they have guided
and informed my travel itineraries for the last thirty years; they were worth
the entire tuition at the
University of Chicago.
University of Chicago.
By Ruth Paget, Author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
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| Laurent Paget Photography |
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| Laurent Paget Photography |
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| Laurent Paget Photography |
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| Ruth Paget Selfie |
