STRASBURG CATHEDRAL. 201 



concave surface of the cupola is divided into compartments, and enriched 

 with magestic figures of saints in mosaic and other grand works of art, 

 and is brilliantly lighted from above and below. In the centre of the 

 cross, where the sea of light pours down from the dome, and ten or 

 twelve feet beneath the pavement of the present church, is the tomb of 

 St. Peter, before which one hundred lamps are constantly kept burning. 



STRASBURG CATHEDRAL. (3) 



THE present cathedral was begun in the eighth century by the French 

 King Pepin, the father of Charlemagne, and finished by the latter 

 monarch ; the walls of the choir still remain as originally built, but the 

 rest of the ancient cathedral was destroyed in 1002. It was restored in 

 1015 by bishop Werner; it is stated, that above 100,000 persons were 

 employed upon it at one time upon very cheap terms, as many of them 

 were paid in " pardons and indulgencies," and yet the body of the 

 church was not finished until 1275; the tower was yet to be built: this 

 was undertaken in 1277 by Ervin de Steenbach, whose work proved him 

 to have been an architect of first rate genius ; the spire was superin- 

 tended, after the death of Ervin, by his son, and was completed in 1438 by 

 John Hubz, By the most accurate measurement, it is four hundred and 

 ninety-four feet high, being within thirty feet of the largest of the 

 Egyptian pyramids. Besides its unsurpassed elevation, its structure has 

 all the other characters of a perfect work. Nothing can be conceived 

 more wonderful, than the consummate art by which the architect has 

 combined the greatest strength with the most admirable lightness and 

 airiness. The masonry does not present to the eye a solid mass, but is 

 almost from the base to the summit a succession of columns and arches 

 with openings between springing up, as if, instead of being supported by, 

 they grew out of each other. The outline of the whole at the same time 

 is one of faultless beauty, while the ornamental sculpturing is so rich 

 and delicate, that its appearance has been usually compared to that of 

 lace. The interior, which is very beautiful, is from east to west three 

 hundred and fifty-five feet, the breadth of the nave one hundred and 

 thirty-two feet, and the height is seventy-two feet. 



