Shrines and Relics of the Aachen Cathedral
Charlemagne's Shrine (The Karlsschrein)
A fresco showing the German eagle and French Fleur-de-Lis, near the Karlsschrein Shrine of Charlemagne in the Aachen Cathedral, Germany.
In the year 1000, the Emperor Otto III, motivated by the enormous veneration in which he held his famous predecessor ,opened Charlemagne's tomb. It was not until 165 years later, in 1165 when Charlemagne was canonized, that the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa recovered his bones. Between 1165 in 1215 a shrine was constructed for these mortal remains. The shrine, as was customary at the time, was an oak chest, whose external panels were covered with silver and gilded figures and reliefs.
Named the Charlemagne Shrine (Karlsschrein), it is 80 inches long, which makes it the largest Romanesque shrine in the Rhine and Meuse region after the Shrine of the Three Magi (Dreikönigsschrein) in Cologne. Unlike other shrines, however, its long sides do not feature a depiction of the twelve apostles enthroned. Instead they show sixteen named kings. The selection highlights those rulers who had proven especially gracious to the Cathedral and the city of Aachen, and towards whom a sense of obligation had consequently arisen.
Remarkably enough, however, Frederick Barbarossa, who had succeeded in having Charlemagne canonized, is not included. Instead Barbarossa's face, which we know from the famous bust in Cappenberg, has been used for the portrayal of Charlemagne himself, who sits enthroned on one of the end panels, in such a way that the two portraits blend into one another. Frederick Barbarossa appears as a new Emperor Charlemagne. On the opposite end panel, Mary, the patron saint of the church, is enthroned between the Archangels Gabriel and Michael. The shrine was accorded its place above the altar in the octagon beneath Barbarossa's chandelier of lights. In later times, after the completion of the Gothic choir, it was transferred to the choir apse.
The golden shrine of Charlemagne, located inside the choir section of the cathedral. This end of the shrine depicts Charlemagne enthroned, being blessed by Christ from above. He's flanked by the Pope and the Bishop of Aachen, both of whom are shorter and even stooped a bit to fit in their niches. In this way, Charlemagne showed that he was given power directly from God, and distanced himself from the notion that his power came through the church or specifically the Pope.
Over the course of the centuries, the shrine was damaged due to environmental influences and transportation. Comprehensive conservation work extending over a period of several years in the 1980's was necessary in order to preserve for posterity this magnificent specimen of the artistry of medieval goldsmiths from the Rhine and Meuse region.
