Palatine Chapel

As Palatine Chapel of belonging to a religious building Palatinate is called, was intended for use by the ruling family and the traveling court. From this developed in a broader sense, the later court chapels and churches in the princely, royal and imperial palaces and residences. A Palatinate was at least from the palace, a palace chapel and a manor.

Introduction

A well-known example of a still preserved palace chapel is located in the center of Aachen Cathedral octagon, it was built in 796-805 AD as the Aachen chapel was the Imperial Palace and Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne. Its architectural form goes back to similar rule chapels in the Byzantine sphere of culture - especially Justinian facilities such as San Vitale in Ravenna or Hagios Sergios and Bacchus in Constantinople Opel.

Almost all medieval palaces had such chapels. But not only secular rulers, even religious dignitaries built such chapels, such as the Archbishop of Mainz, whose Gotthard Chapel at the Mainz Cathedral from the 11th century are also still exists. Most of these rulers chapels were so-called double chapels, ie two-storey buildings with a connecting opening between the upper and the lower chapel.

History

In belonging to the royal palaces of the Palatine Chapel Early and High Middle Ages (500-1300 AD). Was preserved as a relic during the stay of the king of the mantle of the Frankish Empire St. Martin of Tours († 397). The jacket belonged to the crown jewels as Reichskleinodie and was carried on the travel of the Kings. The Depositary and protectors of this relic were the " capella sancti Martini" and were called " Capellan "; from this, the subsequent term Kaplan developed. These priests concelebrated the services in the Palatine Chapel and were also entrusted with courtly and diplomatic tasks. As the first major palatine chapel is considered the king of the monastery of St. Denis, near Paris, in a local law firm head had been used already. St. Denis is considered as origin of a " coronation liturgy " ( laudes regiae ), which also belonged to the baggage of the King and was preserved in the Palatine Chapel.

Basilique Saint - Remi in Reims

Basilica of Saint -Martin de Tours in Tours

Palatine Chapel of Aachen

Palatine Chapel of St. Ulrich in Goslar

Meaning of some Palatinate chapels

First, the Palatinate chapels had no different rank, as she was part of all peer palaces. Over the royal revaluations some Palatinate chapels learned special meaning, among them:

• The present cathedral of Saint- Denis, a former abbey church in the town of Saint -Denis, north of Paris.
• The former Royal Abbey of Saint - Remi in Reims, in her was for centuries preserved the holy oil for anointing the kings of France.
• The Basilica and former Abbey of Saint -Martin de Tours in Tours, it was as grave laying of St. Martin of Tours more a thousand years as one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites.
• The Palatine Chapel of St. Ulrich was part of the Imperial Palace of Goslar, which was praised as " the most famous resident of the Empire ".

More Palatine Chapel (selection)

• The Palatine Chapel in Wimpfen is one of the largest Hohenstaufen imperial palace complex in Germany.
• The Chapelle Imperiale (Ajaccio ) in Ajaccio ( Corsica) was the imperial chapel Emperor Napoleon III.
• At the royal palace Frankfurt the Old Nikolai Church owned a farm and Palatine Chapel.
• St. Bartholomew's Chapel in Paderborn was as Palatine Chapel of the new buildings of the old Ottonian royal palace.
• The Church of St. John Evangelist in Cologne was built on the Domhof as a two-storey palace chapel.
• St. Michael's Church in Salzburg first served the Agilolfingern as Palatine Chapel, it was built next to the Bavarian Palatinate.