Page 35 - NEWS_LETTER EASTER 2020

A church on my travels

Essen Cathedral

Dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian and the Virgin Mary,
Essen Cathedral, a perfect example of Gothic architecture is the
seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Essen, Germany. Its
roots date back to about 845AD when the Bishop of Hildesheim
founded the Asnide Order of Nuns.

The current church had its foundations in Gothic architecture in
light sandstone, although it did go through some baroque and
Ottonian design features. There are yet vignettes of the
Ottonian pre-Romanesque building in the octagonal westwork
and the crypt and its renowned treasury is known to yet have
the oldest fully sculptural gure of Mary, north of the Alps, the
Golden Madonna.

The original church was destroyed by a re in 946, but when
rebuilt, included an outer crypt, a westwork and an external
chapel of St John the Baptist. However, this church was not to
be either as some tomes suggest the art loving Abbess Mathilde
began erecting a new church changing the oorplan to an
Ottonian church.

35