ARCHITECTURE. 161 
was finished in the 13th century. The choir 5, with the gallery Fr, was 
commenced in 1314, and finished in 1513 by John Niesenberger of Gratz. 
Erwin von Steinbach, the architect of the Minster of Strasburg, was also 
for some time engaged in superintending the Freyburg building. The 
transept appears to be the oldest part of the church since it exhibits a 
mixture of the Byzantine and German styles, whilst the rest of the building 
is in the purest German style. The width of the nave is 27 feet, that of 
the side aisles 20 feet. The ceilings are simple cross-vaults resting on 
columns 7 feet thick. The walls without the buttresses are only 6 feet 
thick. The choir is closed on three sides and has cross-vault ceilings with 
very artificially distributed ribs. Its length is 157 feet; that of the nave 
175 feet. The facade has a beautiful perspective portal (1), 30 feet in 
width, lying between pillars of 8 feet thickness and 13 feet projection, and 
profusely decorated with columns, arches, and a gable with fine sculptures. 
The fore hall a is also rich in architectural ornaments and sculptures. The 
inner doorway (2) has a central pillar decorated with a statue of St. Mary. 
The vault of the fore hall is 42 feet high. The tower is square up to the 
first gallery; thence twelve-cornered; and finally eight-cornered up to the 
base of the pyramid which is six-sided and rises, without nucleus and with 
beautifully perforated walls, a pattern of the most exquisite architectural 
construction. Its extreme height including the substructure is 3724 feet. 
The height of the nave is 823 feet, and the choir has the same height, but 
it appears higher exteriorly as it is elevated by a number of steps above 
the floor of the nave. A number of chapels, ¢, are grouped around the 
choir. The cross-arms have each a portal. surmounted by perforated pyra- 
mids, and the richly decorated buttresses of the side aisles are connected 
with the upper wall of the main nave by ascending arches which strengthen 
it. The south side is very rich in sculptures, and all the windows contain 
emost beautiful glass paintings. The pulpit is of stone, and a masterpiece 
of sculpture by George Kempt. 
2. Tae Minster or Strassure (pl. 36, fig. 42, view from northwest). 
This edifice is one of the most precious monuments of German architec- 
ture. The entire structure is of a hard white freestone, slightly tinged 
with red. Its extreme length is 343 feet 4 inches, in the clear 314 feet. It. 
has three aisles of an aggregate width in the clear of 114 feet, 6 inches. 
The transept is 173 feet, 8 inches long, by a width of 44 feet, 7 inches. 
The nave is 42 feet, 4 inches wide, and 95 feet, 5 inches high. The twelve 
clustered pillars which separate it from the side aisles have a thickness of 
7 feet, 4 inches; their inner cylinder is 5 feet, 3 inches in diameter. The 
side aisles are 24 feet, 11 inches wide, by a height of 43 feet. The tower 
facade is 159 feet, 6 inches wide. The side walls are only 3 feet, 8 inches 
thick, with buttresses 4 feet, 4 inches broad, and projecting 8 feet, 6 inches. 
There are two side chapels, 51 and 56 feet in length, attached to the side 
aisles. These chapels have artificially distributed vaulting ribs, whilst the 
other ceilings are simple cross-vaults with caps 8-9 inches thick. The 
western side of the interior has beautiful German ornaments among which 
two rosettes are prominent, the one with apparent perforations, the other a 
ICONOGRAPHIC ENCYCLOP.EDIA.—VOL. Iv. 11 161 
