Strasbourg Cathedrale in HD. To see on time in original file.

History

Previous buildings on the site The site of the Strasbourg cathedral was used for several successive religious buildings, starting from the Roman occupation (when a Roman sanctuary occupied the site) up to the building that is there today.

It is known that a cathedral was erected by the bishop Saint Arbogast of the Strasbourg diocese at the end of the seventh century, on the base of a temple dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but nothing remains of it today.

In the eighth century, the first cathedral was replaced by a more important building that would be completed under the reign of Charlemagne. Bishop Remigius von Straßburg (also known as Rémi) wished to be buried in the crypt, according to his will dated 778. It was certainly in this building that the Oaths of Strasbourg were pronounced in 842. Excavations carried out recently reveal that this Carolingian cathedral had three naves and three apses. A poem described this cathedral decorated with gold and precious stones by the bishop Ratho (also Ratald or Rathold). The basilica caught fire on multiple occasions, in 873, 1002, and 1007.

In 1015, bishop Werner von Habsburg laid the first stone of a new cathedral on the ruins of the Carolingian basilica. He then constructed a cathedral in the Romanesque style of architecture. That cathedral burned to the ground in 1176 because at that time the naves were covered with a wooden framework.

After that disaster, bishop Heinrich von Hasenburg decided to construct a new cathedral, to be more beautiful than that of Basel, which was just being finished. Construction of the new cathedral began on the foundations of the preceding structure, and did not end until centuries later.

[edit] Construction of the cathedral (1176–1439) The construction began with the quire and the north transept in a Romanesque style. But in 1225, a team coming from Chartres revolutionized the construction by contributing a Gothic architecture style. In order to find money to finish the nave, the Church resorted to Indulgences in 1253. The money was kept by the Oeuvre Notre-Dame, which also hired architects and stone workers.

Sandstone from the Vosges used in construction gives the cathedral its characteristic pink hue.

Like the city of Strasbourg, the cathedral connects Münster-German and French cultural influences, while the eastern structures, e.g. the choir and south portal, still have very Romanesque features.

Above all, the famous west front, decorated with thousands of figures, is a masterpiece of the Gothic era. The tower is one of the first to rely substantially on craftsmanship, with the final appearance being one with a high degree of linearity captured in stone. While previous façades were certainly drawn prior to construction, Strasbourg has one of the earliest façades whose construction is inconceivable without prior drawing. Strasbourg and Cologne Cathedral together represent some of the earliest uses of architectural drawing. The work of Professor Robert O. Bork of the University of Iowa suggests that the design of the Strasbourg facade, while seeming almost random in its complexity, can be constructed using a series of rotated octagons.

The north tower, completed in 1439, was the world's tallest building from 1647 (when the spire of St. Mary's church, Stralsund burnt down) until 1874 (when the tower of St. Nikolai's Church in Hamburg was completed). The planned south tower was never built and as a result, with its characteristic asymmetrical form, the Strasbourg cathedral is now the premier landmark of Alsace. One can see 30 kilometers from the observation level, which provides a view of the Rhine banks from the Vosges all the way to the Black Forest.

During World War II, the stained glass was removed from the Strasbourg Cathedral and stored it in a salt mine near Heilbronn, Germany. After the war, it was returned to the cathedral by the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section of the United States military.

Astronomical clock

The astronomical clock, next to the "Pillar of the Angels" (on the left)The cathedral's south transept houses an 18-metre astronomical clock, one of the largest in the world. Its first forerunner was the so-called Dreikönigsuhr ("three-king clock") of 1352-1354, located at the opposite wall from where today's clock is. Then starting in 1547 a new clock was built by Christian Herlin, and others, but the construction was interrupted when the Cathedral was handled over to the Roman Catholic Church. Construction was resumed in 1571 by Conrad Dasypodius and the Habrecht brothers, and this clock was astronomically much more involved. It also had paintings by the Swiss painter Tobias Stimmer. That clock functioned into the late 18th Century and can be seen today in the Strasbourg Museum of Decorative Art.

The clock existing today originated in 1838-1843 (the clock has 1838-1842, but the celestial globe was only finished on June 24, 1843) and was built by Jean-Baptiste Schwilgué in Dasypodius' clock case, and with roughly the same functions, but equipped with completely new mechanics. Schwilgué made a number of preliminary studies years before, such as a design of the computus mechanism (Easter computation) in 1816, and built a prototype in 1821. This mechanism, whose whereabouts are now unknown, could compute Easter following the complex Gregorian rule.

The astronomical part is unusually accurate; it indicates leap years, equinoxes, and much more astronomical data. Thus it was already much more a complex calculating machine than a bare clock. Often the complicated functioning of the Strasbourg Clock made specialized mathematical knowledge necessary (not just technical knowledge).

A mathematical marvel, the clock was able to determine the computus (date of Easter in the Christian calendar) at a time when computers did not yet exist.

Easter had been defined at the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 as "the Sunday that follows the fourteenth day of the moon that falls on March 21 or immediately after". (See also Easter controversy, Ecclesiastical new moon, and Paschal Full Moon.)

Today tourists see only the remarkably sculpted figurines of this clock, but behind this ensemble there is an exceptional mechanism that engages and that represents one of the most beautiful curiosities of the Cathedral.

The animated characters launch into movement at different hours of the day. One angel sounds the bell while a second turns over an hour-glass. Different characters, representing the ages of life (from a child to an old man) parade in front of Death.

On the last level are the Apostles, passing in front of Christ. The clock shows much more than the official time; it also indicates solar time, the day of the week (each represented by a god of mythology), the month, the year, the sign of the zodiac, the phase of the moon and the position of several planets. All these automatons are put into operation at 12:30 PM.

According to legend, the creator of this clock had his eyes gouged out afterward, to prevent him from reproducing it. Similar legends are told for other clocks, such as the astronomical clock in Prague.

In the same room, there is a statue of a man resting his elbows on a balustrade (railing). According to legend this was a rival architect to the one who had built the pillar of angels, the architectural feat of the era, who contended that one single pillar could never support such a large vault, and he would wait to see the whole thing come crashing down.[3]

There are several models of the Strasbourg clock, usually with simplified functions. One is in the Sydney Powerhouse Museum [3].

From 1858 until 1989, the clock was taken care of by the Ungerer company. This company was founded in 1858 by two brothers who were Schwilgué's assistants. Since 1989, the clock has been taken care of by Alfred Faullimmel and his son Ludovic, for the Strasbourg cathedral. Mr. Faullimmel had been employed by Ungerer between 1955 and 1989.

[edit] In popular culture The 1976 film Monsieur Klein, set in France in 1942, takes place largely in Paris but in one sequence, in the middle of the film, the protagonist visits his father in Strasbourg. The Cathedral can be seen out a window, and there is a brief shot inside the Cathedral of the astronomical clock's figurines moving about and striking the hour.[4]

The Dutch progressive rock band Focus dedicated a theme to the cathedral in their 1974 album Hamburger Concerto.

Source: Wikipedia

Dimensions Longueur : 111 m Largeur : 51,5 m Hauteur du sol au sommet de la pointe : 142 m Hauteur du sol au sommet de la flèche : 132 m (646 marches) Hauteur du sol au sommet du clocher : 100 m (500 marches) Hauteur du sol à la plate-forme : 66 m (330 marches) Hauteur du mur de la façade : 66 m (330 marches) Hauteur du clocher : 34 m (170 marches) Hauteur de la flèche : 32 m (146 marches) Hauteur de la pointe : 10 m Si l'on ne compte pas les quelques marches extérieures séparant le parvis du premier escalier (celui de 330 marches, le seul ouvert au grand public actuellement), on peut dire que les 500 marches du sol au sommet du clocher mesurent 20 cm (les 330 comme les 170 marches). Les 146 marches de la flèche mesurent environ 22 cm. Quelques marches extérieures séparent le parvis du premier escalier de la cathédrale. Une autre petite plate-forme entoure la base de la pointe.

Architecture

Frontispice Le frontispice de la cathédrale est richement orné. Les tympans de ses trois portails, surmontés d'un double galbe, sont consacrés à la vie du Christ. Puis, au dessus, la rosace, œuvre d'Erwin von Steinbach en constitue le point central. La particularité de cette rosace, unique en son genre, est d'être composée d'épis de blé, et non de saints, comme c'est la coutume. Ils sont le symbole de la puissance commerciale de la ville.

La façade se caractérise par son grand nombre de sculptures. La plus belle manifestation de cet ensemble architectural est la galerie des apôtres, située au dessus de la rosace.

Le portail principal

Le tympan du portail principalLe tympan du portail principal, à l'Ouest, est entouré de statues de prophètes et de martyrs, et a pour thème la Passion du Christ. Des scènes de l'Ancien et du Nouveau Testament sont représentées sur les voussures.

Au milieu du tympan, une statue de la Vierge à l'Enfant rappelle la dédicace de la cathédrale à Notre-Dame. Une autre statue de la Vierge est située au-dessus du tympan. Elle est surmontée d'une statue du Christ, Roi et Juge, dont le trône est entouré de lions musiciens.

Le portail de gauche

Le tympan du portail de gaucheLe portail Nord est décoré de statues représentant les vertus, terrassant les vices. Le tympan a pour sujet l'enfance du Christ et les voussures sont décorées d'anges et de personnages.

Le portail de droite

Le tympan du portail de droiteLe portail Sud présente le thème classique des Vierges Sages - elles tiennent une lampe et les tables de la Loi ouvertes, à côté du mari idéal - et des Vierges Folles - elles tiennent les lampes retournées, serrent fermées les tables de la loi et sont à côté du tentateur qui tient la pomme de la tentation et a dans son dos des reptiles. Le tympan, quant à lui, représente le Jugement dernier.

Sur les socles des statues, on peut observer d'un côté les signes zodiacaux, et de l'autre les principaux travaux des champs — notamment le passage au fouloir.

Les portails latéraux

Le portail Saint-Laurent.Deux autres portails sont sur les côtés de l'édifice, au niveau des transepts. Du côté Nord, le portail Saint-Laurent, de style gothique tardif, est orné d'une statue du martyre du saint, mort sur un gril. Ce portail est plus récent que la construction principale, datant de l'époque française.

Le portail latéral sud.Du côté Sud, le portail le plus ancien, de conception romane, est décoré de trois statues. Celle de gauche représente l'Église, droite, couronnée et qui tient la croix et le calice. Elle s'oppose à celle de droite qui représente la Synagogue, avec les yeux bandés - elle refuse de voir la vraie foi -, a sa lance brisée et laisse tomber les tables de la Loi. Au centre, une statue représente le roi Salomon, surmontant deux petites statues rappelant son fameux jugement. Les deux tympans romans, représentent la Dormition et le Couronnement de la Sainte Vierge. On nomme ce portail le portail du Jugement, non seulement en souvenir de Salomon, mais aussi parce que c'est à cet endroit que l'évêque de Strasbourg tenait son tribunal. En hiver avait également lieu à cet endroit une foire, prémice de l'actuel marché de Noël.

Sylvain, la foto è veramente splendida nei suoi dettagli e le informazioni riguardanti la cattedrale completano l'opera. A questo punto non so se essere più impressionato dalla risoluzione fotografica o dal meccanismo dell'orologio astronomico. I miei complimenti per un lavoro veramente professionale. Luigi

Luigi, It is difficult to be indifferent A such a compliment. Thank you!

Piu volte ho pensato non continuare su questa foto : l'originale pesa 1.4G e la definizione molto superiore ancora!

Ma se si pensa al lavoro di quelli che hanno realizzato questa meraviglia... e l'orologio..

A me basta che abbia piacuto a almeno uno. Rispetto a questo il primo e uno dei grandi tra gli amici di Panoramio allora...!

Amichevolmente Buona serata . Sylvain

Sylvain, a chi guarderà con attenzione questa foto in "original file" piacerà sicuramente!

Bonne soirée, amitiés, Luigi

ancient masterpiece of gothic architecture!