Picture this....Around the year 1200, the Cologne Cathedral chapter commissioned the creation of this golden shrine to house the bones of the Magi.
I'm talking about the bones of the THE Magi.....THE Three Kings from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 2:11.
I'm always a skeptic of sacred relics being the actual thing they purport to be and this is no exception. Nevertheless, the faithful have seen them as sacred through the centuries and so they are sacred. They may not be historically accurate but they remind the faithful of the story of Jesus in this case and that is good.
I've also never seen relics encased in so much protection. A bullet proof glass case. Surrounded by two protective wrought iron enclosures. Navy Seal Team Six would have a hard time breaching the perimeter of the bones of the Magi.
From Persia to Cologne. What a long strange journey.
Speaking of journies. Here we are at the Cologne Cathedral. The interior takes your breath away.
The exterior plays with your mind. Gothic. Dark. Enormous. Straight out of a medievel story.
The stone exterior has taken on all the grit of an urban environment and it is so huge that no one has ever seen in in recent decades WITHOUT scaffolding somewhere on it. They are diligent about upkeep. We were in the highest reaches of the tower (extra revenue stream!) and there was even scaffolding there in the clouds...repairing the smallest of stone designs.
Inside the light. The dark. And the highest gothic arches create a stunning worship space.
The four Gospel writers are set in stained glass.
The departed are set in stone.
The devout are set in their faith.
And even the floor beneath your feet is set in tiles so that a story can be told.
This Roman Catholic Cathedral was begun in 1248 and today is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne. Restoration continues and will probably never end. We took the long walk to the top of the towers. I'll detail that another day, but for now......
The visitors continue to make this a destination and a place of worship.
Peace, Bob
Enjoyed this mornings pictures and text as well, so glad you're getting to see so much!
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