Evening star., 1911-01-27
OLDEST GERMAN ART
Works Centuries Old in Cathe-
/ draI of HiIdesheim.
SHRINE OF SAXON GODDESS
Accomplishment Of the Bishop
Prince, st. Bernward.
STORIES OF THE RELICS
Queer Houses That Line the Streets
of the City and Their Carvings
and Pictorial Decorations.
STORIES OF THE RELICS

and Pictorial Decorations.
| BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
/ Herald.
The oldest works of German art in ex-
istence are said to be the bronze doors, a
bronze pillar, baptismal font a chan
deer and column of polished stone
bearing an effigy of the Madonna in the
cathedral at Hldesheim. The people
firmly believe that the latter marked the
shrine of the Saxon goddess Hilda in the
dark ages. and that Charlemagne broke it
down with his own hands when he first
passed through that part of his domin-
| ions. AS evidence to substantiate this
| tradition the boys of Hildesheim up to
| the present day have q game in which
Charlemagne encounters party of
| heather priests, and, failing to convert
/ them to his own religious opinions, he
casts their idols down and overthroevs this
column.
| The bronze doors of the cathedral are
famous among antquarians and artists
throughout Europe. They were executed
| bishop-prince. the st. Bernward. one
of the most venerat ted of all the German
| saints, who was equally celebrated as an
| orator, theologian. teacher. sculptor and
| architect. He acquired the art of cast
| ing bronze during a visit to Rome in the
| year 1901. Upon his return to Hildesheim
| he fitted up foundry in which his first
| work was the bronze doors which sepa-
| cathedral. They are close copies of the
doors of the Church of st. Sabina in
| Rome. and are adorned with tWenty-four
panels of great aTtistic merit representing
rp6pmnti0n
| In 1902 st. Berpward designed and
executed what is called "The Christ Pill
| lar" bronze column fifteen feet high. in
which the life Of Christ Is illustrated In
| a series of groups In low relief winding
in serpentine fashion around the column.
| 1t is modelled after the column of Trajan
in Rome. which is similarly decorated
with a series of scenes representing the
military triumphs of that great emperor.
st. Bernward was greatly impressed
with this memorial at the time of his
mediately after his return to Hildesheim.
The chandelier, which is one of the
most remarkable pieces of bronze In ex-
| istence. was cast in 1909, and represents
the walls and gates OF the heavenly Jeru-
salem. 1t is of immense size and is made
of exquisite f1ligree work in bronze, the
| wall Of Jerusalem being produced in a
most ingenious manher with twelve tow
,ers and twelve portals.
Works in Other Churches.
Several other works of art designed
and executed by this pioneer IN German
| sculpture may be seen in the other
churches of IIildesheim. In St. Mag
| dalen's is a Jeweled cross Of gold contain
| ing spinters from the true Cross. and
q pair of wonderful candlesticks,
also the work Of Bishop Bernward. They
| equal If they do not surpass the finest
! examples of the goldsmiths OF Nurem-
horo hN ftn fo lore Of Ia
| renaissance period.
| In the crypt of ST. Michaers Church.
| where the dust of the good Bernward re-
poses. Is a stone saracophagus designed
| by himself and executed in an exquisite
manner. His epitaph is written In POM
pious Latin hexameters, supposed to have
| been from his own pen
| In st. Godehard's Church there are a !
| silver communion service and several al
| tar ornaments from the same source.
| which are considered very beautiful, al
| though they do not equal some of the
| other pieces Of Bernwards work
ST. Godehard's Church was erected in
1888; ST. Magdalens Church was erected
| in 1924; ST. Michaers in 1OO1, and the
Church OF the Holy Rood in 154S. In
the rehquary Of the latter is a cross that
| belonged to Bishop Hello, who died in
| 1877; another which belonged to Henry
| the Lion, who died in 1172, and a reli-
| quarry which bslonged to ST. Catherine.
The cathedral. as ! have already told
was finished by Bishop Herzilo, in 1851.
| 1t was entirely restored in 1889. and now
stands as one of the most beautiful as
| we'll as one of the most famous Of all
the churches in Germany. The cloisters
OF the late RomanesQue school date from
1102, and there are two chapels. One.
dedicated to st. Lawrence, was built in
lila and contains the tomb Of Bishop
lido. who died in that year. The other.
dedicated to st. Anne, was erected in
1921 and contains the tomb Of ST. Code
| hard. who died in 1922 In the treasury
of the cathedral are. portraits of Con-
stantine the Great, and his mother, the
Empress Helena, which are said to have
been painted from life, and belonged to
Charlemange. They are on wood, in
Byzantine style. and are undoubtedly very
| old.
Other ancient works Of art, in which
| veneration for the old takes precedence
| of the spirit OF criticism, are a series of
paintings upon the ceiling OF the Church
| of ST. Michael, in which the genealogy of
| Christ is represented by series of i'm
possible figures in Impossible colors-
| daubed upon a ground of deep blue. These
are said to have been done in 1873, and
! they are believed to be the first frescoes
| executed on the northern side of the Alps. |
Stories Of Sacred Relics.
Wonderful stories are told OF some Of
| the sacred relics. In the treasury Of the |
| cathedral, as 1 have already told you. are !
| the relics which the Emperor Louis the |
Pious brought with him at the time Of the |
miracle in the year S15 and they include |
| golden image of the holy Virgin. In |
| the year 1857 there was a war between |
| the Prince Bishop Gerhardt OF Hildesheim |
| and the Duke of Brunswick. Gerhardt |
mustered his little army in the platz in |
| front of the rathaus as was common in
those days, and after inspecting their
arms and accouterments to see that they
We're in fighting trim bade them kneel
before him. He then drew forth from
his bosom the image that belonged to