Trip to Aachen Cathedral in Germany

🌟Planned an early morning trip to Aachen to get a photo with the golden relic of Charlemagne, the model for the King of Hearts. I even took out a King of Hearts card from my deck and brought it with me. We braved the wind and rain to get to Aachen Cathedral, only to find that the treasure chamber was arbitrarily closed for the day, without even a heads up from Google (Google Maps showed it was open, and there was no one to complain to). And then, in less than a day, I lost the King of Hearts, resulting in a loss of one card from my deck. 🌟 Getting to the point ♥ In 1978, Aachen Cathedral was officially added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming Germany’s first certified world heritage site. From 936 to 1531, a total of 31 German kings and 12 queens were crowned here, highlighting its religious significance in the Holy Roman Empire. 🌟Charlemagne, dedicated to expanding the empire, was crowned Emperor by the Pope in Rome after restoring the former Western Roman Empire’s territories. As a Christian ruler, Charlemagne’s architects modeled the palace complex after the Lateran Palace in Rome. In 814, after Charlemagne’s death, he was buried in the gilded shrine within the Aachen Cathedral, which he favored the most. The church’s structure features an octagonal dome towering 32 meters high, symbolizing the unity of religious and political power. Researchers today believe that this octagonal building with its massive dome was constructed in just ten years, perfectly blending the architectural styles of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, signifying national unity and is considered a masterpiece of architecture. 🌟♥️ This magnificent Gothic building has a main altar with most of its back wall made up of stained glass windows, said to cover an area of over 1000 square meters, thus it is known as the “Aachen Glass House.” This design makes the entire hall resemble a large glass relic box, encompassing two shrines containing Christian relics and the remains of Charlemagne. Unfortunately, the original stained glass was destroyed during World War II, and what we see today is post-war redesign. ♥ Above the main altar hangs an oval Virgin and Child icon, with the Virgin Mary holding little Jesus, surrounded by angels. The golden altar painting in front of the altar was made around 1020 and consists of 17 thin gold relief panels: in the center is Christ the Savior, flanked by Mary on the left and the Archangel Michael on the right; 4 round panels depict the symbols of the four Evangelists; the remaining 10 square panels illustrate the Passion of Christ. These 10 panels, from top left to bottom right, depict: the Entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, Washing the Disciples’ Feet, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Kiss of Judas, the Flagellation, the Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.🌟 ♥ Next to the main cathedral, the temporarily closed Cathedral Treasury is one of Europe’s greatest treasuries, housing invaluable historical treasures of the Aachen Cathedral, such as the Lothar Cross and the gem-studded golden bust of Charlemagne, among other priceless art treasures.🌟 #HistoricalCulture #RomanceThroughTheAges #CulturalSightsSharing #EuropeanTravel #GermanyTravel #Germany #Aachen #AachenCathedral #Europe #Church