Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of Strasburg — John Shaqi
Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of StrasburgAnonymous
History
Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of Strasburg
Anonymous
Strassburger Münster
The view of the _interior_ of the nave leaves a deep impression.
It is mysteriously lighted by magnificent painted windows, and
supported on each side by seven large pillars, composed of round
agglomerated columns. The two first of these pillars, more
gigantic than the rest, support also the towers; the total
elevation of the upper arch is more than 31 metres. The interior
front, over the principal porch, is adorned with a beautiful
sculptured round-window; between this and the grand rose-window
is a glass gallery. Above the arches that unite the pillars on
both sides of the nave and all along is a fine gothic gallery,
serving as a basis to large windows, similar to those of the
lower sides of the church. The lower part of the wall of the
latter is ornamented with a range of small columns, joined
together by og-arches. The magnificent windows of this church
represent subjects and personages of Scripture and Legend. Among
the artists who have painted these windows, the oldest one known,
is master John of Kirchheim; those made after his drawings were
put up in 1348; there is no doubt that many of his works still
adorn the Cathedral. The names of John Markgraf, James Vischer
and the brothers Link were mentioned later. At the latter part of
the eighteenth century John Daniel Danegger painted also some,
which, however, owing to their mediocrity, have since been
removed. For some years past they have undergone considerable
repair under the direction of artists of talent and well
acquainted with the science of antiquities. The painted windows
of the upper galleries of the nave represent the seventy four
ancestors of Jesus Christ; higher up are the images of saints and
martyrs; in the right aisle, over the vestry, is seen the
gigantic figure of saint Christopher: on the South side, of the
six windows that have each sixteen divisions, the four first
contain some scenes from the history of the Bible; the two last,
the day of Judgment and the celestial Jerusalem. On the North
side, in an equal number of windows, you see the birth of Jesus
Christ, the wise men, and the portraits of several German
emperors; the last of these windows represents a series of the
oldest events in Scripture. The effect produced by these
beautiful windows is greatly increased since they had the happy
idea to wash away the daubing with which, about thirty years ago,
they had besmeared the inner walls of the Cathedral; by these
means the bare part of the wall, a fine stone of a rosy tint,
which served for the construction of the church, is rendered
visible; it was a measure that bespoke much good taste and
knowledge of the christian art.
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