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Pass by German Aachen Cathedral continue… September 16, 2008

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Among the classical texts translated at Aachen was the highly influential treatise by the first- century Bc Roman architect Vitruvius Pollio, in which the principles and traditions of earlier architecture, secular and sacred, were incorporated. The palace chapel can be seen to be essentially Vitruvian in nature. It followed Vitruvius’ octagonal scheme (which involved geomantic consideration of the ‘eight winds’). It was located near springs, which conformed to the Vitruvian principle of propriety, which was `attainable by the erection of temples in healthy neighbourhoods where suitable springs existed. At these springs, the shrines were to be built, one of the fundamental principles for temples underlying what is now known as geomancy.’ The true east—west alignment of the palace chapel also follows the Vitruvian dictum on the orientation of temples.

The writings of Vitruvius also relate to other astronomical aspects of architecture, ‘particularly his Analemma, the theoretical basis for sundials’. The Roman architect described the use of the gnomon, a shadow-throwing device, in dividing the circle to determine the directions of the eight winds. The use of sunlight by the builders of the octagon chapel was rediscovered accidentally in the late 1970s by German photographer Hermann Weisweiler. While waiting for the right sunlight in order to take interior shots of the church, he was surprised to observe a sudden flash of sunlight enter the inner octagon through one of the windows at exactly 90 degrees. This inspired Weisweiler to investigate further the entry of sunlight into the church. He was encouraged in this investigation when he noted that the biography of Charlemagne by his contemporary Einhard mentioned the Emperor’s interest in astronomy. Weisweiler found that at noon on 21 June the sun’s rays illuminate the golden ball at the end of a chain hanging from the centre of the octagon’s dome, from which, in turn, is suspended the `Barbarossa chandelier’, which represents the heavenly Jerusalem, the City of Revelation. The midwinter noon sun shines on a mosaic, above the north window of the 16-corner outer rim of the building, which depicts the PX-symbol of Christ between the letters Alpha and Omega.

Travel GuidebookThese features were added a few centuries after the building of the chapel, however, so it seems, as Horst Hartung notes, that ‘the astronomical tradition of the octagon was not forgotten: But Weisweiler’s most intriguing discoveries revolve around the position of Charlemagne’s throne, situated in the gallery at the west end of the octagonal chapel, facing the altar. The throne is a simply designed oak chair clad with four marble slabs and placed atop six marble steps made from .ancient pillars. From this throne, which was used for imperial coronations throughout the Middle Ages, the ruler ‘could see everything and be seen by everyone’. The early light at the equinoxes would have entered horizontally through the upper window of the original eastern section, and the Emperor standing at his throne would have been the only person to see the sun. On 21 June sunlight would enter at 30.5 degrees through the eastern octagon window, illuminating the head of the Emperor seated on this throne. An additional possibility noted by Weisweiler is that if an appropiate window existed in the original eastern extension, a sunbeam would have entered the octagon at about 12 degrees and shone on the enthroned Emperor on 16 April, which is thought to have been the date of Charlemagne’s birthday.

It therefore seems the palace chapel is a form of sundial. But the discoveries extend further than this. Weisweiler drew attention to other calendric devices of antiquity, particularly the Solarium Augusti in Rome, which had an Egyptian obelisk for its gnomon (now found on the Piazza Montecherino). The diameter of Augustus’ mausoleum near the sundial differs by only 101/4in (26cm) from that of the ring of Aubrey Holes at Stonehenge. Weisweiler looked more closely at the possible connections between Stonehenge and Aachen. Not only was the megalithic monument the most famous calendric device of remote antiquity, the German researcher also knew that ancient knowledge had probably been introduced into Charlemagne’s court from the British Isles. He noted that both Stonehenge and Aachen lie close to the latitude 51°N (0.12° above and 0.16° below, respectively). Then he made a truly startling finding: the plan of the sarsen stones at Stonehenge — the inner trilithon horsehoe setting and the surrounding lintelled ring — was of the same dimensions as the palace chapel ground plan and fitted its features remarkably.

The next step was to look at the placing of the cathedral in its surroundings. Investigation of the ’sunrise line’ in what is the Heelstone direction at Stonehenge, superimposed on Aachen, shows an alignment running northeast that passes through ‘megalithic tombs, ancient springs, churches’. In the immediate vicinitay of the cathedral the line would appear to graze the northwest corner of St Foillan’s church and to pass along the building line on the southerly side of the Hof, which covers the remains of the Roman holy sanctuary.

It seems that many of the old secrets of geomancy were resurrected at Aachen. Did this knowledge find its way through the craftsmen’s guilds and monastic orders into the secret associations like the Freemasons of later centuries? At Speyer, the next site of this selection, we will find possible evidence of this, ranging from the medieval period to the eighteenth century, and similar hints at Chartres, Salisbury and London.

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Pass by German Aachen Cathedral continue…

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