Volltext Seite (XML)
THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT’S JOURNAL. 99 and third-pointed transepts and choir; it contains a fine tabernacle of stone, a very elaborate fifteenth-century stone pul pit, and a life-size representation of the “ Agony in the Garden.” In the churchyard is a stone cemetery lantern on a column, and a curious charnel-house. The town is curious, and pos sesses its ancient walls and gates. Eblestadt, Randesachre, and Gossmansdorf are passed in the next three miles ; all are in teresting little places. Ochsenfurth, which is a mile and a half from the last-named place, is a most charming little mediaeval town, with its old walls, towers, and gates quite perfect. It contains a fine church, chiefly fourteenth-century work, but with an earlier tower. There is a superb tabernacle, most ela borately carved in stone, above 40 feet high ; a bronze font, the work of Peter Vischer, and some very fine “ cinque cento ” chandeliers; against the columns are several statues by Til man Riemenschneider. In the churcyard is a beautiful little chapel, about 50 feet by 20, with an apse and a crypt under it ; the doorway has a “Last Judgment” in the tympanum by Tilman Riemenschneider. The Rathhaus bears the date 1499 in a carved panel of the front; it is an exceedingly interesting little building, with a picturesque clock, turret, and external staircase ; it retains much of its ancient furniture. There is also an old hospital, with the chapel over the porch containing its original altar “ in situ,” and many interesting specimens of domestic architecture. The next eight or ten miles of the course of the Maine abound with places of interest. The time will not allow of my giving any distinct account of them, but I cannot proceed -without mentioning Sulzfeldt, a most perfect mediaeval village, hardly at all altered from what it was in the sixteenth century; Dettlebach, with its picturesque Rathhaus, built over a stream; Volkach, with its pilgrimage church and stations, very similar in design to those at Nurem berg, and sixteenth-century Rathhaus; and Hassfurth with its two fine churches. Another most interesting series of towns within a short dis tance of Wurzburg are situated upon a small river called the Tauber, a tributary of the Maine. At the junction of the two rivers is Wertheim, withalarge castle in ruins, and in scale and pictorial beauty second only to Heidelberg ; a fine church, containing a stone rood screen and a very beautiful fifteenth century monument. A few miles further up the river is Bishof- sheim, which also possesses an old castle, and a . church with two stone tabernacles, and an ancient high altar ; andfurther on still is Rothenburg, perhaps the most perfect mediaeval town of its size iu Germany. It possesses eight most interesting churches ; the principal one, that of St. James, is a noble speci men of Second Pointed work; it is about 300 feet long, with out transepts, in the place of which are two square towers crowned with open-work stone spires of unequal height; internally there are three superb triptych altars—the high altar adorned with pictures by Lucas Cranach, and the other two with wood carvings by Tilman Riemenschneider; very exten sive choir stalls, and most glorious stained glass. The churches of St. Sebastian and St. Wolfgang also retain their ancient altars. There is a magnificent Town-hall, partly Third Pointed and partly Reunaissance, with a curious bell-tower ; all the gates are quite perfect, and there is a complete system of me diaeval fortifications as perfect as it was when first carried out in the sixteenth century. The houses in the town are most valuable and perfect specimens of fifteenth and sixteenth century domestic work, most of them unmodernized. In fact, I know of no place which carries one more thoroughly back to the Middle Ages than this charming little town. I must now leave this most interesting district which sur rounds Wurzburg, but I cannot do so without expressing an opinion that in no other part of Europe can so much that is thoroughly mediaeval be seen within so small a compass. About fifty miles from Wurzburg is another ancient eccle siastical “ Free City”—that of Bamberg. Bamberg from a distance presents a grand appearance, though less striking than Wurzburg. The city is built upon seven hills, each of which is crowned by a large church ; the most remarkable of which is the cathedral. This noble church consists of a nave and aisles, with a choir and polygonal apse flanked by tall square towers, surmounted by octagon lanterns and spires at the east end, and transepts, apsidal choir, and two lofty spires at the west end. Each choir has a large crypt under it, and is raised ten or twelve feet above the level of the nave. They are approached from the nave by double flights of steps, between each of which is an altar on a level with the nave floor ; these altars are iso lated from the wall in such a way .as to leave a space at the back, from which there is a large opening looking down into the crypts ; a large chapel with aisles forms a kind of continuation to the south transept. The church was originally founded by St. Henry in the year 1004, and was consecrated in 1012. This building was entirely destroyed by'fire in the twelfth century. Of the present church the earliest portions are the eastern choir, lower portions of the two eastern towers, and the three first bays of the nave; these were not completed until 1237. The great eastern apse—the earliest portion of the existing church—is a remarkably fine Romanesque work; it is covered with zig-zags and all kinds of ornament. The nave of the cathe dral originally had a flat timber roof, and the present quadri partite vaulting has caused the blocking up of the alternate clerestory windows. This portion of the church is transitional in Character, but the pointed arch is only very sparingly used, showing how very far Germany was behind France and En gland in adopting pointed architecture. Nor is this a solitary example,—for the church of Kloster-Ebrach, near Bamberg, which is quite Romanesque in character and exhibits scarcely any use of the pointed arch, was completed as late as the year 1285. It is a singular fact that the further east one goes in Germany the longer the Romanesque style seems to have been retained. In the south-east of Austria and Hungary there are several Romanesque churches built after the year 1300; for instance, that of Scechisher Reen on the borders of Hun gary ; on the doorway of which is an inscription recording its foundation in the year 1330. In the east of Hungary and parts of Servia the Romanesque style existed even to a later date, and the churches of Mannasia and Ipek were both erected after the year 1400, and neither of them possess any pointed arches. This would seem to argue strongly against Gothic architecture having been introduced from the east. The next portions of Bamberg Cathedral in point of date are the transepts and western choir, which were completed in 1274; they are very fine early first pointed, but with the round arch still used, though sparingly. The two western towers, which are the most beautiful portions of the church, were erected after 1274. These exquisite towers bear such a resemblance to those of Laon in France that one is almost led to believe they were copied from the French church. Here we have another proof that the Germans were far behind the French, for the towers of Laon were built between the years 1225 and 1235, whereas those of Bamberg, which appear even earlier in character, were not commenced until after 1274. These towers are square to the level of the choir walls, and are then carried up octagonally with octagonal buttresses consisting of beauti ful open arcades supported upon slender columns ; the towers themselves are also pierced in all their stories : these stories are marked by bold projecting cornices. The pediments and spires which crown and disfigure these noble towers are either modern or have been altered during the seventeenth century. The interior of this cathedral is very striking and solemn, though plain and severe ; the beautiful warm colour of the stone adds greatly to the effect, and the grand quadripartite vaulting of the nave and tho eastern choir directly attract ad miration. The eastern aspe is vaulted with a semi dome, and the arcade running round the lowest portion is very singular. The arches are supported upon intertwined columns, some of which are tied together with great knots in the centre. In front of this apse stands a modern high altar of very unob jectionable design, surmounted by a large bronze crucifix by Thorwaldsen ; the stalls arc fourteenth-century work. Against the south wall is a bronze effigy to Bishop Ebenett, by Peter Vischer. In the centre of the choir are two other monu ments, both thirteenth-century work. As before mentioned, this choir is raised about twelve feet above the level of the nave, and at the back of the stalls are solid stone walls sepa rating it from the aisles ; towards the aisles these walls arc divided into two stories by beautifully carved cornices ; the lower story is occupied by an arcade of pointed arches supported upon detached shafts, with richly carved capitals quite French in character. The upper story consists of an arcade of trefoil headed arches, filled with remarkably fine statues, representing the Twelve Apostles and the Twelve Prophets, the Annuncia tion, and St. Michael and the Devil; the heads are most noble, and the whole sculpture reminds one of the western doorway of Amiens; the spandrils are filled with most charming con-