Domhof 1, Aachen, Germany
Aachen Cathedral (Aachener Dom)
Charlemagne's palace chapel, built around 800 AD, the oldest cathedral in northern Europe, where German kings were crowned for six hundred years and where Charlemagne's remains are still venerated.
Aachen Cathedral began as the personal chapel of Charlemagne, and it still feels like the center of something. The octagonal core, completed around 805, was designed by Odo of Metz and modeled on the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna — Charlemagne saw himself as the heir of Rome, and he wanted a building that made the point. The octagon is surrounded by a sixteen-sided ambulatory, and the original bronze railings and doors survive from the Carolingian period. The interior was originally covered in mosaics, some of which were restored in the nineteenth century. A massive Gothic choir hall was added in the fourteenth century, with walls of glass inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, nearly doubling the size of the building. For six hundred years, from 936 to 1531, German kings were crowned here, seated on Charlemagne's marble throne, which still sits in the upper gallery. Charlemagne's bones rest in a gilded reliquary shrine in the choir. The treasury, housed in a building next door, contains one of the richest collections of medieval sacred art in Europe, including the Cross of Lothair and the bust reliquary of Charlemagne. The cathedral was the first site in Germany added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Diocese: Diocese of Aachen
Style: Carolingian with Gothic additions
What to See
The octagonal core is the essential thing — stand in the center and look up into the dome to grasp the Carolingian ambition of the building. The bronze doors and railings are original eighth-century work. The Gothic choir hall is a dramatic contrast: tall, light-filled, and glassy. Charlemagne's gilded shrine is in the choir, visible from the nave. The throne can only be seen on a guided tour, which is worth arranging in advance. The cathedral treasury next door is not optional — the Cross of Lothair, the bust of Charlemagne, and the collection of ivory panels and liturgical objects are among the best medieval art anywhere.
Pilgrim Notes
Aachen is in western Germany, near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. The cathedral is in the old city center, easily walkable from the main train station. Guided tours of the upper gallery and throne are offered daily in German and English — book ahead during busy seasons. The treasury charges a separate entrance fee and is worth at least an hour. Aachen is about an hour from Cologne by train, and the two cathedrals make a strong pair. The city's thermal baths, fed by the same hot springs that attracted Charlemagne, are still operating.