Cologne

No. 212 - THE PENNY MAGAZINE - July 25, 1835

Cologne

SOME account of Cologne has already been given in No.52 of the 'Penny Magazine.' We shall at present advert to a few curious particulars concerning that city, which could only be briefly indicated in a general notice.

Cologne has always been much distinguished for the number and wealth of its ecclesiastical establishments, and for the fully adequate proportion of relics which they possessed. In these respects, indeed, there has perhaps been no city in Christendom equally distinguished. Some of the more remarkable objects may be mentioned in connexion with the churches which contain them.

The greatest curiosity at Cologne is its cathedral. We are told that it was the pious design of the elector Conrad to erect a temple which should surpass every other among the Christian churches. It was begun in the year. 1248 ; and his successors continued to build till the year 1499-not less than 251 years. They then found that their resources were too limited for the extent of the design. It was therefore left incomplete, arid while one part of it (the choir) was so far finished as to be appropriated 'to religious uses, the other was suffered to moulder away in ruins. Had the original design been carried into execution, the cathedral would have formed one of the finest and most stupendous Gothic edifices in Europe ; and even as it stands at present, overgrown with grass and mouldering away with age, it presents a spectacle of great sublimity. The body of the church is so very extensive, that four ranges of massy columns, about one hundred in number, do not seem to crowd it. The four middle columns are not' less than forty feet in circumference. The grand altar is magnificent ; and is formed out of a single piece of the finest black marble, sixteen feet in length and eight in breadth. This cathedral seems to have obtained less attention from travelers than its architectural merits fairly claim. There is, however, no lack of information concerning the relies which are deposited within its walls. The principal in the list are the bones of the twelve apostles, tile cross of St. Peter, the magnificent shrine of St. Engelbert, and the sarcophagus of the three Magi, who were guided by the star to Bethlehem at the birth of Christ. The presumed possession of the bodies of these personages has conferred more celebrity on Cologne than any other single set of relics "The three Kings of Cologne" became a proverbial expression which frequently occurs in our own old romances. Indeed, the cathedral its self, although dedicated to St. Peter, is in-tore commonly known as the " Church of the three Kings." There is nothing in the Scriptures to inform us of the number, the rank, or the names of the personages in question; their number, however, has in this instance been fixed to three, their quality is not considered less than kingly, arid even their names (Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar) have been preserved. The legend states that, after their return to their own country they were baptized by St. Thomas, and that their bodies were, about 300 years afterwards, translated by tile Empress Helena to Constantinople, whence they found their way to Milan, and ultimately to Cologne, although the people of Milan assert their continued possession of the relics. The sarcophagus is distinguished for the beauty of its sculpture arid the profusion of its ornaments. Tee relics lie in a large purple shrine, spangled with gold, and set upon a pedestal of brass in the midst of a square mausoleum, which is faced within and without with marble arid jasper. It used to be opened every morning at nine o'clock, if two of the canons of the cathedral were present, when the bodies of the magi were seen lying at length, with crowns of gold and precious. stones on their heads. Their names, in purple characters, appeared in a small grate which was decorated with rich pearls and precious stones, among which was an Oriental topaz, as large as a pigeon's egg, valued at 30,000 crowns. Opposite, wax-lights were kept continually burning in six large branches of silver. The mausoleum or chapel which contains the bodies was built by the Emperor Maximilian. The above account of the shrine is particularly applicable to the appearance it presented previously to the occupation of Cologne by the French. They, for a time, turned the cathedral into a granary. We are not informed of the precise amount in which the ancient splendour of the shrine has diminished.

Next to the cathedral, the most celebrated church is that of St. Ursula. Its celebrity, however, solely arises from its relics, which consist chiefly of the bones of the eleven thousand virgins," headed by St. Ursula, who were martyred here in the year 640. These virgins have the credit of having been English women ; but as it is difficult to understand how so large a number could be brought together in a country so thinly peopled as England then was, and nearly as difficult to apprehend how a single boat could carry them across the water, some persons are inclined to think that, instead of eleven thousand virgins, there was only one, with the name of Undecimilla, which by some blundering monk was changed into eleven thousand. Others think that the number was eleven, of whom a record was made by the cipher that is, the eleven martyred virgins; but which was, in the same manner as last instanced, misunderstood for eleven thousand. However, this difficulty is not felt at Cologne, and the wall and floor of the church of St. Ursula are abundantly stored with bones and Coffins. Some of the heads are cased in silver, others are covered with stuffs of gold, and some have caps of cloth of gold and velvet. One writer mentions that he saw between 4000 arid 5000 skulls arranged on shelves in the church and decked with garlands and coronets. A tuft of hair adheres to one of the skulls, and is adduced as an evidence of incorruptibility. Some of the bones attributed to the virgins appear to be those of infants ; and Dr. Cogan mentions an instance in which a surgeon of eminence. had been banished from the city for hinting his opinion, as an anatomist, that, among the collection of bones which are said to pertain to the heads, there were several belonging- to large full-grown mastiffs.

The church of St. Peter is chiefly remarkable for a fine painting of the crucifixion of St. Peter, by Rubens. In the opinion of the artist, it was one of his very best works, having painted it with unusual care and exertion out of compliment to this church, in which he had been baptized. He presented it at the time that he claimed a copy or certificate from the baptismal registers The directors of the church were, however, so far from receiving this noble gift with the gratitude it deserved, that they manifested considerable discontent that the donation was not of a pecuniary nature; and some of them even proposed that a present which was of personal advantage to no one should be returned : but this motion was over-ruled. This contest Came to the knowledge of Rubens; and he immediately offered them several thousand crowns-it is said twenty-eight thousand-if they would return it to him. On this, the proprietors Concluded that he must consider the picture inimitable, or he would else rather have painted another like it than part with so large a sum. The price offered for the picture enhanced its value immeasurably in their sight: professing , to be men of taste, they declined the offer, and ever afterwards treated the painting with due respect. It was carried to Paris by the French in 1794 ; but, like similar spoils from other quarters, was restored about twenty years after.

The fine collegiate church of St. Geron, which wag built in the eleventh century, as a vast cupola, which is much admired. it contains the alleged skulls of 900 Moorish warriors, who were converted by St. Gregory the Ethiopian, and afterwards suffered martyrdom for refusing to sacrifice to idols. The skulls are each furnished with a scarlet cap adorned with pearls. A jasper column sprinkled with blood, and which is stated to have helped to support the scaffold on which they were executed, is also shown in the church. The Jesuits' Church, which is one of the finest in the city, was remarkable for its internal wealth. It contains portraits of the first thirteen generals of the Order, with lgnatius Loyola at their head, and some fine statues; and was noted, even at Cologne, for the profuse display of gold and precious stones in the ornaments and utensils of its different altars. The church of the Augustine Friars is remarkable for its handsome portal; it contains the tomb of Duns Scotus, and the manuscripts of that " subtle Doctor " are contained in the library. The only other church we shall mention-that of the Maecabees-contains some remarkable objects of popular superstition, among which are the heads of the personages to whom the church is dedicated, and which on high festival days are exposed to public view, ornamented with costly crowns. Here are also the heads of the father and mother of the Virgin Mary.

There was perhaps nowhere to be found a more striking contrast than that which appeared at Cologne between the wealth of the churches and the misery and want of an unusual proportion of the population. No city in Germany, with the same population, contained so many beggars as this " Holy City," as it was sometimes called. They formed a regular corporation of privileged mendicants. They sat upon rows of stools placed for them in every church, and took precedence according to their seniority. When the eldest died, his next neighbor took his place, and many of them had stools in several churches, which they visited alternately on the days of the most brilliant spectacles. On the few days of the year in which there were no spectacles they roamed about the streets, and assailed strangers with great importunity and insolence.

Perhaps it would not be quite fair to attribute the poverty and misery into which Cologne had fallen to any single cause. The principal cause must be sought in the decline of its commercial importance. Since the French took possession of the place, much that has been said about the internal riches of the churches has ceased to be applicable: the number off priests and mendicants has also considerably diminished, and, since the blessing of peace has been granted to Europe, the prosperity of Cologne seems to have partially revived. The population, which, at tile commencement of this century, had fallen below 40,000, is now not less than 65,000.