Speyer and the Speyer Cathedral

We visited the town of Speyer and saw the Speyer Cathedral for the first time just months after we moved to Germany. That was almost two years ago now. For reasons I cannot explain, this cathedral captivates me. It is not grand. It is not extraordinarily beautiful...as a matter of fact, it's somewhat of a 'Franken-cathedral'...it's front and back ends matching but the middle all a different muddle of styles. It isn't anything like the St. Etiénne in Metz, France or the Notre-Dame in Paris. It isn't like the Ulm Münster or the Cologne Cathedral. All of those places are breath taking, perfect and amazing. Still, Speyer has always intrigued me and is one of my most favorite places to visit. So much so that I've decided to write a book about it.

My family indulged me on an another visit to Speyer during our vacation last week. We chose to get there via the Black Forest and saw some amazing sights on our journey.

Fall is a spectacular place in this part of Germany.

I mentioned to our landlady, Elfie, the desire to write a book about Speyer. This woman is awesome. Every time she sees me she hugs me, holds my hand, jokes and teases...and is absolutely wonderful. She was also an educator for almost thirty years and studied German history in college. I mentioned the book in passing, but she took it upon herself to do some research for me. I've spent quite a bit of time in her home with my laptop, typing as she translates and dictates to me passages from German history books she's gathered. During our time together, she has also told me a lot about a town called Annweiler and the Trifels castle. This castle is significant because it is where King Richard I, (or Richard the Lionheart of England) was held captive. We'd seen this castle many times on our travels but I was unaware of its significance. (It ties into the story I want to write...hang in there...I'll get to the point.) Annweiler is right near this tunnel and if you take a look to the right just before you go inside, you can see the castle in which King Richard was held.

Trifels Castle.

We could see the Speyer Cathedral pretty much as soon as we arrived in Speyer.

There is also an awesome transportation museum in this town that we've visited. It's called the Speyer Tecknik Museum and it's huge. I wrote a post about it in September, 2012. It's a very fun place to go explore. 

I was all about the cathedral on this trip, though...specifically the crypt.

Since we've been in this part of Germany, I've seen the word Barbarossa everywhere. There are Barbarossastraße, (Barbarossa Street), Barbarossa Bäckerei, (large bakeries that are open on Sundays...which is a huge deal here in Germany) and so many other places. It's actually a name. Frederick Barbarossa was a huge part of German history. He was a king, then an emperor and he is considered by many Germans to be a national hero. He also has a very colorful history, as many historical figures do. He was married to a French queen by the name of Beatrix of Burgundy and they had 11 children together. Their youngest was a daughter named Agnes. Both Beatrix and Agnes are buried in the crypt in the Speyer Cathedral.

The Heidentürmchen, or Heath Tower. Just one of the original 68 towers built in Speyer.

Steven and the back side of the cathedral.

Barbarossa was supposed to be buried here in Speyer as well, but it was not to be. So, here's where Richard I becomes significant. (I told you I'd get there.) Barbarossa, King Phillip II of France and Richard I, (who was set to marry Barbarossa's daughter, Agnes) put together a huge army with the goal of taking Jerusalem from the Muslim leader Saladin. On June 10th, 1190, while on what is now called the Third Crusade, Barbarossa tried to walk his horse across the River Saleph in Silifke, Turkey. According to the history books, a great number of his troops crowded the bridge and he was eager to get across the river and to his son who was leading the advance guard. The current was too strong for his horse and his armor too heavy to keep himself upright. He drowned and was buried in three different places...none of them in Speyer. One of many stories claims that Barbarossa wanted to be buried in Jerusalem, so his men put his body into a barrel of vinegar in the hopes of preserving him. That plan, however, failed miserably and it is said that he was buried in pieces along the way. That, along with many other 'facts' are questionable...but interesting.

From on top of the Heidentürmchen.

A very grandiose poem was written about Barbarossa many, many years ago. Elfie said it was hard to translate because it was written in very old German, but the story is that Barbarossa's men somehow diverted the river, dug a grave into the riverbed and buried their emperor, while still on horseback, inside. The river was then allowed to flow again with Barbarossa and his horse buried beneath it. I'll let you form your own opinion about this tale. I will tell you that Elfie read the poem with much drama and lots of eye rolling. When she was finished she harumphed and shook her head, then mumbled something about why it came as no surprise to her that the Germans lost two World Wars.

There is a "Sleeping Hero" legend written about Barbarossa as well. The following text is taken from this website: 

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/sleep.html#Barbarossa

Many legends are in circulation dealing with this emperor. They say that he is not dead, but that he shall live until the Day of Judgment, and also that no legitimate emperor shall rise up after him. Until that time he will remain hidden in Kyffhäuser Mountain. When he appears he will hang his shield on a dead tree, and leaves will sprout from the tree, and then better times will be at hand. From time to time he speaks to those who find their way into the mountain, and from time to time he makes appearances outside the mountain. Generally he just sits there on a bench at a round stone table, asleep with his head in his hands. He constantly nods his head and blinks his eyes. His beard has grown very long, according to some it has grown through the stone table, according to others it has grown around the table. They say that it must grow around the circumference three times before he awakens. At the present time it has grown around the table twice.

In the year 1669 a peasant from the village of Reblingen who was hauling grain to Nordhausen was taken into the mountain by a little dwarf. He was told to empty out his grain and allowed to fill his sacks with gold in its place. He saw the emperor sitting there entirely motionless.

In addition, a dwarf led a shepherd into the mountain who had once played a tune on his flute that had pleased the emperor. The emperor stood up and asked: "Are ravens still flying around the mountain?" When the shepherd answered "yes," the Kaiser responded: "Then I must sleep for another hundred years."

This tale comes from the Brothers Grimm in a collection of stories called Deutsche Sagen and is titled No. 22. I loaded it onto my Kindle. It's in German. I will read the original text but it will take me a while to translate it. I'm here to tell you, folks...the German language isn't easy. Maya and Scott will back me up here, I guarantee it.

A depiction of Barbarossa with his long beard and the ravens beneath the mountain.

I have a strong desire to visit Kyffhäusser Mountain. It's in a town called Bad Frankenhausen which is about a five and a half hour drive from here. There is a monument dedicated to Barbarossa there. Here is a picture of it that I got off of the web.

The crypt in Speyer Cathedral is the largest Romanesque crypt in the world, built in the form of a hall. It consists of four rooms situated beneath the choir, the crossing and the transepts.

Monument to King Adolf of Naussau beneath the covered entry way of the cathedral.

It, like the rest of the cathedral, have changed and been rebuilt over the years. Empress Beatrix and her daughter Agnes died within months of one another. They were in France at the time and were carried to together with much ceremony to Speyer where they were placed in their own graves. On May 31, 1689, French troops broke open the graves of the emperor's and stole what valuables they could find before scattering all of the bones and setting the building on fire. 

This is a photo of the crypt taken from a book I bought at the cathedral.

Here is an excerpt from http://ejnoomen.home.xs4all.nl/story102.html  

which is a website explaining the reconstruction of the crypt:

The cathedral was restored between 1772 and 1784, and the floor of the choir was simply closed, without marking the location of the graves. In 1792 the imperial troops, which had attacked France to crush the French Revolution, were driven back to Germany. The French occupied the west bank of the Rhine, including Speyer. Again, they ransacked the cathedral, which they turned into a warehouse. They withdrew in 1794 and on 19 May 1822 the cathedral was reconsecrated.

In 1898, professor J. Praun from Speyer wrote an article for an historical magazine about the imperial graves in Speyer. He deplored that after all those years, no effort had been made to locate the graves and give the emperors a proper burial. This article came to the attention of emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, who contacted prince-regent Luitpold of Bavaria (Speyer lay in Bavaria in those days). Luitpold conferred with the bishop of Speyer, who agreed to the excavations, and on 27 July 1900 a commission was formed which would lead the search. One of the members was professor Praun. On 16 August 1900 they started digging. At a depth of 58 centimetres they found a large stone plate and the next day they found the coffin of king Philip of Swabia (d. 1208) underneath. To their great joy, it had not been touched by the graverobbers. On 18 August they discovered a sarcophagus, made of red sandstone. It was cracked and contained the skeleton of a large man, as well as some drilling tools left by the French in 1689, who had probably taken the man's skull, which was missing. It was later determined that the skeleton belonged to emperor Henry V (d. 1125). By the end of August twelve graves had been found, some of which were intact. On 3 september 1900 the skeletons were temporarily buried in the choir.

It took some time before the parliament gave the money needed to build the new crypt, but on 28 April 1902 work could begin. The workers found several graves of bishops in the old crypt, though sadly no more graves of imperial family members, and finished work on 12 September 1902. On 19 december 1902 the skeletons were put into lead coffins and buried in the new crypt. Their shrouds and funeral crowns were placed in the Dioceseal Museum in Speyer.

The Emperor's Crypt is up these stairs and to the left.

Here is a sign they've posted near the Emperor's graves. The second one from the right on the bottom is the final resting place for both Beatrix and Agnes. The center grave on the bottom was reserved for Barbarossa. Because his remains are buried elsewhere, the grave remained empty until 100 years after Barbarossa's death and is now the resting place for King Rudolf of Habsburg. It has been written that because Agnes was a child, (some say she was four or five at the time of her death, some say she was eleven or twelve) that her remains were buried with her mother when the crypt was rebuilt to allow more space.

The grave with flowers on it belongs to Beatrix and Agnes.

I have be researching Barbarossa and Beatrix for some time. There is a very famous painting portraying their wedding. Here is an internet photo of that occasion.

This work was done by painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in 1751.

Beatrix was thirteen at the time of her betrothal. Barbarossa was thirty four. I haven't found a source for this information in English, but Elfie translated a bit of Beatrix's history from a German textbook that stated she had been held in a tower by her uncle who was afraid she'd come to power. (This was, evidently, power he himself wanted.) Barbarossa married Beatrix to obtain control over the vast county of Burgundy, France, and Beatrix's uncle was thwarted when she later became Queen after her marriage. 

Another painting of Barbarossa and Beatrix.

The Stadthaus right across from the Speyer Cathedral.

We walked down Maximilianstraße and I got a shot of the front of the cathedral.

Maximilianße is a lively street filled with many shops and eateries. This is where the annual Speyer Christmas Markt is held.

Right here we'll all thinking that we're hungry and are wishing that the cafe we're staring at was open.

In 1990, the city of Speyer celebrated it's 2000th birthday. This statue of a barefooted pilgrim was built here as part of the celebration. Germans call it the Jakobspilger and I read that if you look beneath his robe, he has no pants on. I will be honest here...I can't confirm this as I didn't think to take a peek while we were there.

The Mount of Olives next to the cathedral.

While this was a research trip for me, you know I couldn't help but ask Maya and Scott to pose for some photos while we were there. (That would be unheard of!)

And can you blame me? Beautiful children and beautiful scenery.

Our awesome Jeep.

Barbarossa has ties to our neck of the woods here in Kaiserslautern as well. He actually lived here in a castle that is sometimes referred to as Barbarossa Castle, but the real name for it is the Imperial Castle. Remains of this structure lie where the Rathaus, (or city hall) stands now. I haven't gone to see it yet, (but I will.) Here are some shots of it I got from the web.

What it supposedly looked like long ago perhaps when Barbarossa lived there.

A partial model of the castle.

Here's what stands there today:

Here is one last blurb from another website about Kaiserslautern and Barbarossa:

Kaiserslautern itself received the name from the favorite hunting retreat of Emporer (Kaiser) Frederick barbarossa who ruled the diverse lands of the Holy Roman Empire from 1155 until 1190. The Lauter was then an important river that made the old section of Kaiserslautern an island in medieval times.

The symbol of the city is a red and white shield-shaped coat of arms, with an open-mouthed carp on it. This was reportedly the favorite dish of Frederick Barbarossa.

He was a powerful ruler, controlling lands from the North Sea to Sicily, and under his rule, medieval European knighthood experienced its golden age. Ruins of his original castle can still be seen in front of the Rathaus (City Hall).

And those bakeries I was talking about earlier?

So...when I first became enamored with the Speyer Cathedral, I had no idea my research into it would bring me to this. Because I am so fond of it, and because we've spent two years in a place that is so historically tied to the cathedral and to Germany itself, how can I not write a book about it? It will be historical fiction...with a bit of a ghost story thrown in. I have some fun ideas going on in my head...but I have a couple other writing projects ahead of this one in line. I think about it a lot...and am excited about it.

Barbarossa statue in Kaiserslautern.

I doubt I'll get my family to go back to Speyer. (We've been four times now) but I think I've collected enough pictures and information to get me started. No matter how many cathedrals I am lucky enough to see, I still think the Speyer Dom will always be one of my favorites.