Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of StrasburgAnonymous
History
Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of Strasburg
Anonymous
Strassburger Münster
Erwin superintended the works until 1318, when he died on the
14th of January. All the children of this grand master were
artists worthy of him: Sabina, his daughter, carved several
statues for the Cathedral; one of his sons, who died in 1330,
built the fine church of Haslach; his other son, John, succeeded
him in directing the works of the Cathedral, and he died in 1339.
In 1331 bishop Berthold of Bucheck built the chapel of saint
Catherine, which also contains his tomb. The disturbances and
calamities that desolated Strasburg during a great part of the
fourteenth century, the revolution of 1332 that altered the form
of the government of the town, the ravage caused by the black
plague in 1349 with the insurrections accompanying it, the
contest of bishop Berthold with his chapter and with the emperor,
all this retarded of course the progress of the construction of
the Cathedral. Nevertheless they terminated in 1365 the northern
tower; K[oe]nigshoven calls it the new tower, perhaps, because
they purposed erecting a pyramid on it, which was quite an
innovation in the architecture of that time. The southern tower,
which the chronicler calls the ancient one, because it was not
intended to be raised higher, was finished at the same time. The
name of the artist who made the plan of the pyramid and spire of
the northern tower is still unknown; nor is it known who built
the steeple which formerly rose above the _grande rosace_, or
rose.
In 1368 the church was again struck by lightning without
receiving much damage; in 1384 a fire that broke out in the
organ, burnt all the interior with the exception of the chancel.
Ever since that time large vats were set in the different parts
of the building and guardians placed in the interior and in the
towers. In 1429, John Hueltz of Cologne was sent for to complete
this great work; ten years after, he finished the spire; on
Midsummer's day 1439, in the presence of a great multitude, he
laid the last stone, exactly a hundred and sixty two years after
Conrad of Lichtenberg had placed the first stone of this
monument; a statue of the Virgin Mary was also erected on the
knob terminating the spire[1].
[1] It was taken down in 1488.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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