Friday, November 11, 2011

St. Nicholas Chapel located inside the Cathedral of St. Peter
Worms, Germany
1890s Old Engraved Illustration
Image courtesy: Can Stock Photo
The first traces of a cathedral in this spot date back to the early 600s! This current edifice was built between 1130 and 1181 while the older basilica was simultaneously being torn down.
St. Nicholas Chapel
Image Courtesy: Welcome to Deutschland
"Niklauskapelle"
The original chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas was much smaller. But that all started to change when the Greek Empress Theophania of Constantinople (Byzantine Empire) married Emperor Otto II in 972. She not only brought the fork to Germany, the decadent idea of bathing once a day, luxurious clothing and jewelry but most important of all, relics of St. Nicholas which she donated to this cathedral. The relics are still located in a recess in its eastern wall with a consecration inscription dated 1058. The Cathedral was enlarged and the chapel was rebuilt between 1280 and 1315 in the Gothic style. The chapel is located on the south side and is still used for baptisms.
Cathedral of St. Peter
Image Courtesy: Wikipedia
This beautiful cathedral is one of only three Romanesque cathedrals in Germany. It has been a landmark for the lovely city of Worms for more than 1000 years.
Image courtesy: via
The South Facade 
And how it - and the city of Worms - looked in 1838...
Image courtesy: Antique prints
Steel engraving: 1838
Historic and beautiful...and yet another house of worship that honors St. Nicholas (and of course, St. Peter!).

18 comments:

Ola said...

nice to see you hahe again!
and an imprssive architecture of the cathedral!

Sara said...

How pretty; really beautiful cathedral! And may I also say, what interesting info about the fork... I never would have made the association between such an everyday household appliance and St. Nicholas, St. Peter or any churches to be honest ;)

Anonymous said...

Truly a beautiful church, thank you for sharing.

Angelsdoor * Penny said...

Oh Ann... This is just breathtaking.. I wish I could afford to travel to all the beautiful places you have shown here.. Thank you for the beautiful tour.
Blessings,
Penny

Southhamsdarling said...

Hi Ann. Hope you are well. Another beautiful Cathedral (with a St Nicholas Chapel) for us to look at today, and interesting facts for us to read, as always. Actually, I think this Cathedral is particularly beautiful, and when I first saw the photo, I thought it might have been in Prague.

Draffin Bears said...

Hi Ann,

I have seen the wonderful St Peter's Church on a show we watch here called Euromaxx. It is an absolutely amazing Cathedral.

Have a great weekend
Hugs
Carolyn

troutbirder said...

Mmmm. Beautiful indeed. This cathedral rings a bell in my mind for some great historical treaty, conclave, something... but right now its too early in the morning and my thinking cap is not awake yet... :)

My Mind's Eye said...

Good morning Ms Ann and Prince Edward!! Congrats on you 1 year gotcha day Edward.
Ms. Ann that 2nd picture is breathtaking...
Mom and I send you happy weekend wishes,
Madi and Mom

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Wow Ann.... That is one absolutely gorgeous cathedral. I'm surprised that there are only 3 Romanesque cathedrals in Germany...

I'd love to visit Worms just to see that cathedral. Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Betsy

Carole Burant said...

How I'd love to visit all of these cathedrals/churches that you've been showing on your posts, in person, they are all so beautiful and how wonderful that they all share the name of St. Nicholas!

I hope all is well with you, dear Ann. xoxo

Celestial Charms said...

What a beautiful cathedral. I have a special love of German churches, since the church I grew up going to was built by German immigrants. They have a similar look to them.
Maureen

Junibears said...

Dear Ann, It's wonderful for someone like me who is almost house bound to go on all these fabulous trips around the world with you. So wonderful to view the inside s and outsides of all these majestic churches.
Thank you for that and for visiting me.
Hugs
June xx

Diane said...

Now that is really gorgeous. Diane

BeadedTail said...

Such a beautiful church! Those windows are gorgeous!

Rick said...

Beautiful cathedral ! I love these classic churches and visited a number of them while in Holland and Rhodes on trips over the past few years.

Thanks for visiting my blog. I do know of a very old St. Nicholas church on the island of Rhodes in Eleoussa - built in the 15th century and called St. Nicholas Foundoukli. It was undergoing extensive restoration when we visited there.

Lovely blog !

A Bit of the Blarney said...

I do so enjoy you post, especially this time of year. Indeed, it is a most beautiful church! Wishing you well!! Cathy

Pat said...

Glorious stained glass windows! Thank you so much for finding all these treasures and sharing them ! xx

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

ANN DARLIN'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yet another treasure to find in regards to the beloved St. Nicholas, and to come to see you dearest! Thank you for visiting with me; I am so behind in my comments for I had parent/teacher conferences on Thursday night and it was EXHAUSTING!!!! I am going to try to pick up my regular routine this weekend and ENJOY!

How is Sir Edward these days? Anita