Brunswick Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
(Brunswick), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
founded it as a collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
and it was built between 1173 and 1195. The church is termed Dom
Duomo
Duomo is a term for a cathedral church. The formal word for a church that is presently a cathedral is cattedrale; a Duomo may be either a present or a former cathedral . Some, like the Duomo of Monza, have never been cathedrals, although old and important...
, in German a synecdoche
Synecdoche
Synecdoche , meaning "simultaneous understanding") is a figure of speech in which a term is used in one of the following ways:* Part of something is used to refer to the whole thing , or...
- pars pro toto - used for cathedrals and collegiate churches alike, and much like the Italian Duomo
Duomo
Duomo is a term for a cathedral church. The formal word for a church that is presently a cathedral is cattedrale; a Duomo may be either a present or a former cathedral . Some, like the Duomo of Monza, have never been cathedrals, although old and important...
, is imperfectly translated here by the English cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
. After the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
the college
College (canon law)
A college, in the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, is a collection of persons united together for a common object so as to form one body. The members are consequently said to be incorporated, or to form a corporation.-History:...
has been dissolved and the church is currently owned and used by a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Brunswick
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Brunswick
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick is a Lutheran church in the German states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The seat of the Landesbischof is Wolfenbüttel. Its district as a Landeskirche covers the former State of Brunswick in the borders of 1945...
.
The construction was disrupted several times during the various exiles of Henry, so he and his consort Matilda, Duchess of Saxony were both buried in an unfinished church. The limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
statues on the tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
in the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
are an idealised representation made one generation after their death, between 1230 and 1240. The cathedral was consecrated on December 29, 1226, dedicated to Saints Blaise
Saint Blaise
Saint Blaise was a physician, and bishop of Sebastea . According to his Acta Sanctorum, he was martyred by being beaten, attacked with iron carding combs, and beheaded...
, John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
and Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
. It turned Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
in 1543 after the City of Brunswick in opposition to Duke Henry V of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Henry , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, called the Younger, was Prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1514 until his death...
had joined the Schmalkaldic League
Schmalkaldic League
The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although originally started for religious motives soon after the start of the Protestant Reformation, its members eventually intended for the League to replace the Holy...
.
Among the most important pieces on display in the church are a wooden crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
by Master Imervard (second half of the 12th century) and one of very few huge bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
candlestick
Candlestick
A candlestick, chamberstick, or candelabrum is a holder for one or more candles, used for illumination, rituals, or decorative purposes. The name 'candlestick' derives from the fact that it is usually tall and stick-shaped.Candlesticks are also called candle holders...
s with seven arms, from around 1170-1180.
The Cathedral is also the burial place of Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the Queen consort of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 29 January 1820 until her death...
, Queen Consort of George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
. Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Frederick , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was ruler of the Principality of Brunswick from 1373, and, according to some sources, briefly German king-elect in opposition to Wenceslaus in 1400....
is also buried here.
Other burials
- Henry the LionHenry the LionHenry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
(1129–1195)- Matilda of England, Duchess of SaxonyMatilda of England, Duchess of SaxonyMatilda of England was the eldest daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Through her marriage with Henry the Lion, she was Duchess of Saxony and later of Bavaria.-Early life:...
(1156–1189), his wife
- Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony
- Egbert II, Margrave of MeissenEgbert II, Margrave of MeissenEgbert II was Count of Brunswick and Margrave of Meissen. He was the eldest son of the Margrave Egbert I of the Brunonen family.Still a minor, he succeeded his father on the latter's death 11 January 1068 in Brunswick and Meissen...
(1060–1090)- Gertrude of Brunswick (1060–1117), his sister
- Otto IV, Holy Roman EmperorOtto IV, Holy Roman EmperorOtto IV of Brunswick was one of two rival kings of the Holy Roman Empire from 1198 on, sole king from 1208 on, and emperor from 1209 on. The only king of the Welf dynasty, he incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1215.-Early life:Otto was the third son of Henry the...
(1175/76-1218)- Empress Beatrice of HohenstaufenEmpress Beatrice of HohenstaufenBeatrice of Swabia was Holy Roman Empress and German Queen as the first wife of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor.- Family :She was the eldest daughter of Philip of Swabia and his wife Irene Angelina....
(1198–1212), his wife
- Empress Beatrice of Hohenstaufen
- Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgLouis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgLouis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ruled over the Wolfenbüttel subdivision of the duchy from 1731 until his death....
(1671–1735)- Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-OettingenPrincess Christine Louise of Oettingen-OettingenChristine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen was Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg and the maternal grandmother of Empress Maria Theresa, Queen Elisabeth Christine of Prussia, Queen Juliane Marie of Denmark and Tsar Peter II of Russia...
(1671–1747), his wife
- Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen
- Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgFerdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgFerdinand Albert , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was a relative of the princes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel....
(1636–1687),- Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1680–1735), his son, Duke Louis Rudolph's son-in-law and successor
- Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1713–1780), his son
- Duke Louis Ernest of Brunswick-LüneburgDuke Louis Ernest of Brunswick-LüneburgLouis Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Bevern was a field-marshal in the armies of the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Republic...
(1718–1788), his brother, Captain-General of the Dutch RepublicDutch RepublicThe Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
from 1750 to 1766 - Duke Ferdinand of BrunswickDuke Ferdinand of BrunswickFerdinand, Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg , was a Prussian field marshal known for his participation in the Seven Years' War...
(1721–1792), his brother, PrussianKingdom of PrussiaThe Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
field marshal from 1758 to 1766- Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of BrunswickCharles William Ferdinand, Duke of BrunswickCharles William Ferdinand , Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, was a sovereign prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and a professional soldier who served as a Generalfeldmarschall of the Kingdom of Prussia...
(1735–1806), Charles' I son, killed at the Battle of Jena-AuerstedtBattle of Jena-AuerstedtThe twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt were fought on 14 October 1806 on the plateau west of the river Saale in today's Germany, between the forces of Napoleon I of France and Frederick William III of Prussia...
- Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelFrederick William, Duke of Brunswick-WolfenbuttelPrince Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a German prince and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Oels. Nicknamed "The Black Dude", he was a military officer who led the Black Brunswickers against Napoleonic domination in Germany...
(1771–1815), his son, the Black DukeBlack BrunswickersThe Black Brunswickers were a volunteer corps raised by German-born Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel to fight in the Napoleonic Wars. The Duke was a harsh opponent of Napoleon Bonaparte's occupation of his native Germany...
, killed at the Battle of Quatre BrasBattle of Quatre BrasThe Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
- William, Duke of Brunswick (1806–1884), his son, last descendant of the House of Brunswick-BevernBrunswick-BevernBrunswick-Bevern is an extinct German dynasty. It is a branch of the Younger House of Brunswick, a branch of the House of Welf. Its first member was Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, who received Bevern Palace as part of his inheritance in 1666...
- William, Duke of Brunswick (1806–1884), his son, last descendant of the House of Brunswick-Bevern
- Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
- Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick
- Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1680–1735), his son, Duke Louis Rudolph's son-in-law and successor