St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-11-07

dral-Ihe Remains of the Three Mdgi
The Church of the EleUen Thousand
Virgins-Heaps of Human BOnes-A
Handsome Monument.
HOTEL VICTORIA,
COLOGNE, July, 1879.
THE COLOGNE CATHEDRAL.
The stranger upon his approach to
Cologne, whether by the river, OF by
rail, as we came, has his attention at
tracted long before he reaches the city
by the unfinished spires of the great
cathedral. Although these twin monu-
ments are not finished they pierce the
sky far above all surrounding objects.
The building itself towers above every
thing else before the spires themselves
are traced to their dizzy height. When
they are completed these spires will be
five hundred feet high, the loftiest in
the world, and the tall houses which
surround the Domplatz will look like
toy blocks in comparison. Enter the
great square and you will see the build
ers and their impediments on every
side. An American with his ideas of
rapid construction would think the
cathedral a creation of few years
back ; and yet it was more than six
centuries ago that Conrad of Hochsta-
den, archbishop of Cologne, laid the
corner stone. There is an old legend
that the architect sold his soul to the
devil who furnished him the plans with
the further stipulation that the first to
enter the edifice should also belong to
his Satanic majesty. Tradition records,
however, that the wicked old schemer
played losing game in the second in
stance since the holy men who dedicated
the house dressed up a pig in woman's
gown and drove the animal in ahead of
the procession. 1t is said, too, that the
church will never be finished by reason
of its Satanic origin, but in this also the
devil is likely to be Outwitted, for the
Emperor of Prussia has said that the
edifice shall at once be completed.
There are several hundred wOrkmen
now engaged, and it is said that the
great towers will be finished in the
course of another year. But while the
new is progressing the old is tumbling
to pieces and needs constant mending.
uaiy nf oA1 a. 4
the foundation stones and the pillars
are in such a state of decay and chemi-
cal decomposition that the downfall of
the whole edifice may be expected be-
fore the end of the present century.
But the huge buttresses and walls
seem as firm to-day as the Drachenfels
themselves, from whose rocky ribs they
were taken, and we will enter. The
interior is very lofty and very beauti-
full. The height of the roof is two hun
dred feet, and the principal portal is
ninety-three feet high. The light falls
aslant among the deep and solemn
arches through myriads of stained-glass
panes, and the eye wanders down the
long nave as it might through the lofty
aisles of mighty forest whose Gothic
recesses are family illumined by the
golden sun. The tourist may wander
about almost at his will and yet not
disturb the little knot of worshippers at
the other end of the church, and the
officiating priest certainly cannot tell
his copy of Baedeker from a PRAYER
book. The choir was completed in
1929, and around it are seven chapels.
Within these chapels are ancient monu-
ments and ancient paintings, but only
a few of the latter are worth attention
The church windows afford an Oppor-
tunity to compare the work of the an
cient and modern glass-stainers, some
of them dating back for centuries, while
others have been put in within a score
of years.
THE CHURCH TREASURY.
of course the cathedral has an exhibi-
ton of sacred relics. Paying IA priestly
Snowman the allotted fee, or rather,
letting the conductor pay it, which is
much more convenient as well as more
economical, we enter room at one side
of the choir. The apartment is not
large and it is crowded with relics and
ecclesiastical vessels. There is a cabi-
net on one side containing mOnstrances
of gold studied with precious stones,
magnificent vestments, and sundry rel
les of adOred saints. Near the centre OF
the room is the religuary containing the
skulls of the Three Kings who came
from the East to adore the infant
Saviour,-Caspar, Melchoir and Bal
thazar. The skulls are encircled by
golden crowns and the reliQuary was