The Basilica of St. Cunibert
also St. Kunibert (, ) is the last of Cologne's
twelve Romanesque churches to be built. It was consecrated 1247, one year before work on the Gothic
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of ...
began. It was declared a minor basilica in 1998 by the then
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
.
History
A small church located at a burial ground north of the Roman city was founded or renewed by
Cunibert
Cunibert, Cunipert, or Kunibert (c. 60012 November c. 663) was the ninth bishop of Cologne, from 627 to his death. Contemporary sources mention him between 627 and 643.
Life
Cunibert was born somewhere along the Moselle to a family of the loca ...
, ninth
Bishop of Cologne
The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...
. Cunibert was also buried there. After 690 the
Two Ewalds
The Two Ewalds (or ''Two Hewalds'') were Saint Ewald the Black and Saint Ewald the Fair, martyrs in Old Saxony about 692. Both bore the same name, but were distinguished by the difference in the colour of their hair and complexions. They began the ...
were buried in the church as well.
The church was originally dedicated to
Saint Clement, but Cunibert has been venerated alongside him since at least the ninth century, and a monastery called ''Saint Kunibert'' appears in records as far back as 866. Around the middle of the eleventh century the direct predecessor of the current church was built. Later a parish with the
dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
as parson was allocated to the monastery. The church became a
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
site after the
Canonization
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...
of the Two Ewalds in 1074 and of Cunibert in 1168.
Between 1210 and 1215 the erection of the current building started. The choir was finished 1226 and the church consecrated in 1247. Until 1261 a transept and a tower were added to the west.
The monastery ceased to exist in 1802 as a result of the
secularization
In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...
under Napoleonic reign and the monastery buildings were eventually torn down in 1821. However the church remained in use by the local parish.
The western spire collapsed during a storm in 1830 for static reasons, as this tower was not part of the original plan and the structure of the building was not designed for it. Tower and westwork were newly erected until 1860.
The church suffered severe damage during the Second World War. The roof was destroyed by fire, the western tower was hit by a bomb, collapsed and destroyed large parts of the westwork. Reconstruction of choir and nave were finished 1955, however rebuilding of transept and western tower were only started in the late 1970s. Reconstruction work was finished in 1985.
Furnishing
![Cologne Germany St-Kunibert-03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Cologne_Germany_St-Kunibert-03.jpg)
The original shrines of Cunibert and The Ewalds were destroyed during secularization and only the wooden cores with the relics remained. Today's shrines are from the second half of the 19th century.
The eight medieval glass windows in the apse area were made between 1220 and 1230. The upper three windows show Saint Clement, the original patron of the site, the
Tree of Jesse
The Tree of Jesse is a depiction in art of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, shown in a branching tree which rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David. It is the original use of the family tree as a schematic representation of a ge ...
and Saint Cunibert. The windows of the lower band show
Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula (Latin for 'little female bear', german: link=no, Heilige Ursula) is a legendary Romano-British Christian saint who died on 21 October 383. Her feast day in the pre-1970 General Roman Calendar is 21 October. There is little infor ...
,
Saint Cordula
Saint Ursula (Latin for 'little female bear', german: link=no, Heilige Ursula) is a legendary Romano-British Christian saint who died on 21 October 383. Her feast day in the pre-1970 General Roman Calendar is 21 October. There is little inform ...
,
Saint Catherine,
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia ( la, Sancta Caecilia), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She b ...
and
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
.
See also
*
Twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne The twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne are twelve landmark churches in the Old town ''(Altstadt)'' of Cologne, Germany. All twelve churches are Catholic.
Churches
The twelve churches are1:
* St. Andreas in Altstadt-Nord, est. 974
* St. Ap ...
*
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of ...
*
German architecture
The architecture of Germany has a long, rich and diverse history. Every major European style from Roman to Postmodern is represented, including renowned examples of Carolingian, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Modern and ...
*
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this lat ...
*
List of regional characteristics of Romanesque churches
Romanesque is the architecture of Europe which emerged in the late 10th century and evolved into Gothic architecture during the 12th century. The Romanesque style in England is more traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.
The style ca ...
*
Romanesque secular and domestic architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. The term "Romanesque" is usually used for the period from the 10th to the 12th century with "Pre-Romanesque" and "First Romanesque" bein ...
Literature
* Hiltrud Kier: ''Via Sacra zu Fuß, Kölns Städtebau und die Romanischen Kirchen''. Bachem Verlag, Köln 2003 (²/2005) .
* Ulrich Krings, Otmar Schwab: ''Köln: Die Romanischen Kirchen – Zerstörung und Wiederherstellung''. Reihe Stadtspuren Bd. 2, Köln, Bachem Verlag, 2007 (712 S. mit CD Chronologie des Wiederaufbaus).
* Sybille Fraquelli: ''Zwölf Tore zum Himmel. Kinder entdecken: Die Romanischen Kirchen in Köln''. J.P. Bachem Verlag, Köln 2007.
* Hiltrud Kier und Ulrich Krings: ''Die Romanischen Kirchen in Köln'', Köln, 3.Auflage 1986.
* Sabine Czymmek: ''Die Kölner Romanischen Kirchen'', Schatzkunst, Bd. 1, Köln 2008, Bd. 2, Köln 2009 (= Colonia Romanica, Jahrbuch des Fördervereins Romanische Kirchen Köln e. V. Bd. 22, 2007 und 23, 2008)
References
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Tourist attractions in Cologne
Innenstadt, Cologne
Roman Catholic churches in Cologne
Romanesque architecture in Germany
Basilica churches in Germany