Cathedrals and churches of the Rhine (1905) (14777107881)

Identifier: cathedralschurch01mans (find matches)
Title: Cathedrals and churches of the Rhine
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors: (Mansfield, Milburg Francisco), 1871- (from old catalog)
Subjects: Cathedrals. (from old catalog)
Publisher: Boston, L. C. Page and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress



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-able qualities, gives them a preeminence overall other women of Switzerland. All this is as flowery a compliment as thefair sex of any country could receive, and,judging from appearances, as one lingers afew hours or a few days in Basel, it is alltrue. The most remarkable of all the edifices ofBasel is its cathedral, or miinster, dedicatedto the Virgin. In certain of its features one finds a dis-tinct Lombard influence, — in its sculpturesand carvings, notably the two carved lions inthe crypt, which are the counterparts ofothers at Modena and Verona in Italy, —though in general it is a Gothic structure. The cathedral was founded by the Em-peror Henry II. of Bavaria in loio, and wasdedicated in 1019. It is constructed of red sandstone, as arethe chief of the architectural monumentsalong the Rhine, and is an imposing exampleof the Gothic of that time. The great portal on the west is richly dec-orated in the archivolt. It is flanked oneither side by an arcade w^hose buttress pil- 86
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Cathedrals and Churches of the Rhine lars are each surmounted by a statue in acanopied niche or baldaquin. At the foot of the north tower is an eques-trian statue of St. George and the Dragon,and at the angle of the southern tower isanother of St. Martin. Two small doorways, each entering theside aisles, flank the arcade of the portal.Above the principal doorway of this fagadeis a balcon a jour before the great windowwhich lights the main nave. The towers rise beside this great window,and are of themselves perhaps the most re-markable features of the church. They are not exactly alike, but they reflectmore than any other part of the edifice thecharacteristics of the Gothic of these parts.The northern tower was completed in 1500,and is sixty-six metres in height. The south-ern tower is perhaps more ornate, and re-sembles, if somewhat faintly, Texiers beau-tiful spire at Chartres. The ogival windows of the side walls arestrong and of ample proportions. At the extremity of the north tran