1842.] 



THE CIA IL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



225 



that the senate is about to adopt it in the new city. The emanations 

 of the mind, like the mind itself, may be said to endure forever — they 

 continue to operate through the world, and to influence the future long 

 after their origin has been lost sight of. 



To return, however, to Cologne cathedral. Thanks to the power 

 of steam, and the situation of the city on the Rhine, this structure 

 has been vievv'ed by most of us, and it would be impertinent to make 

 remarks upon that with which you are as well or better a.cquainted 

 with than myself. A short time ago, however, M. Daly, the editor 

 of the "Revue Gcni'rale de V Architecture " of Paris, kindly forwarded 

 to me some information on the late repairs and decoration of the 

 building, and an account of the enthusiastic efforts which are being 

 made, not merely in Germany, but in other countries, to ensure the 

 completion of the building. It is the substance of this information 

 ■which seems to be sufficiently interesting to be worthy your attention, 

 that I propose briefly to bring before you. 



I may remind you that the first stone of the present building was 

 laid on the 1-lth of August, 1'248, and that the choir was consecrated 

 Sept. 27, 132"2, or 74 years afterwards. It was more than a hundred 

 years after this date before the south tower was taken up to its present 

 altitude, hardly half its proposed height ; the north tower is even 

 now not more than 20 feet, perhaps, above the ground. 



When the soldiers of the French republic had possession of the 

 city at the end of the 18th century, the cathedral was used by them 

 as a stable, and was considerably injured. Moreover, iron cramps, 

 which had been extensively used in the construction, caused great 

 ravages in the stone work, and there being no funds with which to 

 repair the evil as it became apparent, the destruction of the building 

 seemed more than probable. After the peace, endeavours were made 

 to restore the damage, but it was not till 1S21, when the King of 

 Prussia interfered zealously, that the matter was taken up in earnest. 



In 1829 the complete restoration of the choir was commenced, 

 (including the rebuilding of the flying buttresses, galleries, and win- 

 dows,) which most desirable work is now_ achieved, and as it would 

 seem most satisfactorily. A very hard and durable stone has been 

 employed in the restoration, and the architect has studiously avoided 

 the use of iron in the masonry, so far as was practicable, either dove- 

 tailing the stones together where additional solidity was required, or 

 when this was deemed insufficient, employing clamps of bronze. The 

 outlay since 1829 alone, has been more than £40,000, partly furnished 

 by the Prussian government. The immense scaffolding which still 

 fills the choir of the cathedral, is about to be taken down so as to 

 expose to view the decorations that have been applied. 



Beneath the whitewash with which the interior of the choir was 

 disfigured in the last century, they discovered the painted decorations 

 that originally adorned it, and in which the colours were applied with 

 a sobriety and wisdom rarely met with in the works of the middle 

 ages. All the principal parts of the construction, such as the columns 

 and ribs, have been re-covered with a yellowish plaster, to remove the 

 cold tint of the stones, the joints of the masonry being nevertheless 

 left visible. The smooth surfaces of the roof are painted in imitation 

 of the pierre de tuf, of which indeed the roof is constructed. Some 

 red bands or fillets separate the light colour of the plain parts from 

 the deeper tone of the ribs, and serve to give the latter more relief. 

 The leaves and ornaments of the key-stones, the capitals, indeed all 

 the sculptured portions, are gilt with a backing of bright red. 



In the heads of the pointed arches above the triforium, angels are 

 painted on a ground of sculptured ornaments, gilt. The wall of the 

 cloister, even, is covered with paintings of the 14th century. On the 

 interior surface they represent processions, upon a gold ground ; on the 

 exterior figures of saints, on a blue ground, powdered with stars. The 

 mouldings of the pointed arches which enclose the figures are also 

 very richly painted. 



Fourteen colossal statues, representing our Saviour, the Virgin 

 Mary, and the apostles, are placed against the pillars of the choir, and 

 are said to be models of monumental sculpture and polychromatic 

 decoration. The draperies are painted to imitate rich damask stuffs, 

 adorned with embroideries, coloured aud gilt, representing animals 



and birds, executed with skill. It was much feared, in conse- 

 quence of the thick coating of dirt with which time had covered 

 these figures, that the renewal of the painting would have injured the 

 effect of the sculpture ; so far from this, however, the success is most 

 complete. 



This magnificent assemblage of architecture, sculpture, and paint- 

 ing, is made perfect by a series of stained glass windows, of the 

 commencement of the 14th century, which, instead of injuring the 

 effect of the mural paintings, by the coloured light which flows through 

 them into the beautiful structure, harmonize the whole, and produce 

 an effect which I can well conceive to be very striking. 



The choir with its side aisles and chapels is, as already men- 

 tioned, the only part of the cathedral which is complete, the towers 

 and nave remaining in an unfinished state — a splendid promise only, an 

 outline of a magnificent intention, which yet remains to be filled up 

 and made perfect. It seems possible, however, that it may not remain 

 so much longer. Fired by the successful restoration of the ancient 

 works, and anxio\is to realize the original idea in all its integrity and 

 unity, the inhabitants of Cologne have determined on continuing the 

 works vigorously. On the llith of February a society was organized 

 for that purpose, and the day was set apart for religious intercession 

 and rejoicing. The enthusiasm displayed on this occasion is said to 

 have been extraordinary ; a procession of more than 5000 persons took 

 part in the ceremonies of the day ; Protestants and Roman Catholics, 

 liberals and conservatives, joined on one common ground, and outvied 

 each other in generous efforts to ensure the completion of this fine 

 monument bequeathed by the middle ages to modern times. 



This outburst of feeling on the part of the inhabitants of Cologne 

 has been responded to, not merely throughout Germany, but in the 

 neighbouring countries : branch societies have been formed for the 

 purpose, literary men and artists have associated to publish magazines, 

 the profit of which is to be devoted to the cathedral, a committee to 

 receive subscriptions has been organized in France, and another 

 in Rome ; the King of Prussia has made himself responsible for 

 i£8000 per annum, and has further suggested that each of his provinces 

 should defray the cost of one of the flying buttresses. The King of 

 Bavaria, as in most similar instances, is not behindhand in the good 

 work, but has formed committees in all the towns of his kingdom, and 

 moreover has commissioned the manufactory of stained glass at Munic!'. 

 to produce three fine windows for the cathedral, at the cost of £3200. 

 In Germany all classes of societv, all professions, all faiths, have spon- 

 taneously united in favour of the projected work, not merely, as M. 

 Daly suggests, under the influence of a lively interest in the welfare 

 of the arts and for their sublime creations, or even from a sentiment 

 of piety, but from a new-born feeling of the re-establishment of moral 

 unity in Germany, and a desire to retrieve its ancient grandeur. 

 Piety, art, and patriotism — love of God, love of the beautiful, love of 

 country — unite in favour of the completion of a building in which 

 modern Germany will give her hand to the Germany of the middle 

 ages, across three centuries of discord. Architecture has been too 

 often called on to embellish the triumphs of brute force ; in this case 

 it may record the willingness of a nation to be united. From the 

 Bible we learn, continues M. Daly, that the first great monument with 

 which architecture ornamented the world was the Tower of Babei, 

 that is to say, of confusion, of discord. It is worthy of the architecture 

 of our day to complete a noble edifice, high upraised, which may be 

 at once a temple to God and a record of union. 



To this I most fervently respond, and trust that the patriotic and 

 elevated desires of the German people on this head may be fully 

 carried out. The crane of the ancient builders has continued to sur- 

 mount the grass-covered summit of the tower, mutely telling of their 

 return, and prophesying ultimate completion.* I venture to express 

 a hope that it may soon be seen again at work, playing its part in a 

 much more elevated position than it is now. 



George Godwin, Jun. 



" BeinR decayed, it was taken down in 1816, to prevent accidents, but was 

 restored in 1819. 



