Strasbourg Cathedral stands like a beacon on the charming island that forms the heart of Strasbourg. With its single Gothic spire and pink color robe, it is recognizable from all other cathedrals.
A touch of History
Like most cathedrals, the Strasbourg Cathedral was built on the former site of a Roman temple. Follows on the site a few more churches and a first Roman Cathedral by the end of the 7th century and a bigger one by the end of the 8th. A first Romanesque cathedral was built in the 11th century which later burnt to the ground.
1 – The tallest building in the World? Maybe not…
2 – Why is there no South tower?
Obviously, there were plans to construct a South tower. So, although we say the cathedral construction finished in 1439, it wasn’t considered finished at the time.
To this day, no one seems to be 100% sure why the South tower was not erected. Amongst the possible reasons are the lack of finance. Some say that Gothic architecture was outdated. While others say that such construction would have not been possible because of the unstable grounds, on which the Cathedral was built on.
And some say that by the time the construction could have started, the people of Strasbourg had come to love their Cathedral so much the way it was, they didn’t want a South tower!
A little difficult to photograph…
3 – So much history
The Strasbourg is now a Roman Catholic Cathedral but with such a long life, it has much more to tell. For 150 years it was a protestant church and it lost a lot of its original statues and decorations during this time. Louis XIV took the city back in 1679 (during the 30 years war) and gave it back to the Catholics.
During the 1789 revolution, to protect the spire that was considered an “insult to equality”, a giant metal Phrygian cap was created to cover it. I can’t even picture this in my head!?!
4- The green ray
After cleaning the stained glass windows in 1972, an unexplained phenomenon happened: A green light went trough the foot of Juda represented on one of those stained glasses and created an aura like circle on the statue of Jesus located on the pulpit. What is particularly remarkable is that this can only be admired twice a year, on the equinox days. Although no one knows for sure if this was done intentionally, the fact that Juda is represented pointing to his foot, is considered by many as a proof that it was!
You can imagine how many esoteric tales, this green ray is leading to!
5 – The Christmas tree!
In 1539, the world’s first documented Christmas tree was set up inside the Cathedral. Now, you know why Strasbourg Christmas markets are so famous!!
Bonus point – La Marseillaise, the French National hymn was written in Strasbourg! Unrelated but fun to know!
A pinch of Architecture
When standing in front of the cathedral, it is easy to understand why the Strasbourg Cathedral is considered as one of the finest example of high Gothic Architecture. Its impressive facade, its vertiginous spire, its delicate rose, all lead you to believe it is solely a Gothic masterpiece.
However when walking around, inside or out, and when paying a little attention, you will notice this Lady is older than you first thought and still has those strong foundations, walls and details from the Romanesque period. The Apse of the cathedral is for sure a total giveaway!
Feeling lost? Do check my helpful mini-guide! Here and Here
So again, I don’t want to go into too many details but do want to point out a few specificities!
The West central portal and rose window
The nave and its romanesque dome
The Pillar of Angels
Over such a long construction period, influences are bound to change. When the architect masters of Chartres arrived in Strasbourg, they arrived with new ideas and techniques which lead to the creation of the Pillar of Angles. Such pillar holds the all South transept on its own and is beautifully decorated with statues which make you forget its purpose.
Some legends say that Erwin de Steinbach is represented on the balustrade looking down on such pillar, waiting for it to collapse as it could not possibly hold under such weight. Well… it’s not him! Such statue was added in the 15th century and it can’t be Steinbach as he wasn’t even born when the pillar was constructed in 1230. Yet, this little man, looking down for eternity is a nice cheeky Medieval addition.
The Rose Stained glass window
The majestic Rose stained glass window is different from the ones you can see in most other cathedrals. Notice something? It has no iconographic images but instead shows wheat heads, which seems to represent the commercial influence of Strasbourg.
A lot of the Strasbourg stained glass windows date from Medieval times and miraculously survived overtime and especially during the 1870 Prussian war and WWII.
In 1870 the Cathedral was bombarded and the firemen chose to save those stained glass windows by directing the water on them rather than on the fire that was destroying the roof. During WWII, like in Chartres, the stained glass windows were taken down to be protected but were later stolen. You’ve seen the movie the Monument Men? Well the real Monument Men found the Strasbourg stained glass windows, in the German mine salt and returned them to the Cathedral in 1945.
The suspended pipe organ
The suspended pipe organ on the North side of the aisle is the oldest in the World (1385) although its mechanic is a touch younger. It is suspended like a bird nest which makes it very special.
What you won’t get to see and which is quite fascinating, is how such organ is operated: it required 2 men to pump air, for the player to play it! Those 2 men were standing on what looked like the ancestor of steppers. You can check a video (in french) here. Around 8:40, you’ll see it in action. Now, this mechanism is electric!
The Astronomical Clock
The astronomical clock is to most, the main attraction in the Cathedral. Such clock is located in the south transept next to the pillar of Angels. It is 18 meter high and is one of the largest in the World and one of the most precise one.
Technically it was created between 1838-1843 but that is mostly for the mechanism as the outer case dates from the 16th century.
Another legend? The creator of the clock was blinded after finishing the clock so he could never reproduce it. Who knew clock-maker was a dangerous job?!
The wind and the devil
One more tale about the Cathedral? This one explains why the Cathedral’s ground are so windy…
The devil was ridding the wind when he passed in front of the cathedral and stopped to see himself on the portal. Wanting to see if there was other representation of himself inside, he stepped off the wind and inside the cathedral. Wandering around, he lost track of time and got trapped inside when the mass started! The wind is still waiting for him outside.
And this is how you best explain the weather!
As you can guess, I loved visiting the Strasbourg Cathedral and I would actually love to go back to see some more of the details. It takes time to see them and understand them!
There is nothing quite like Medieval art. Cheeky, naughty, a little absurd, a little shocking… it never fails to surprise the ones who look carefully.
SO I know some of you are waiting for some explanations about this picture I previously shared. What does this scene represents? The Devil is lying and laughing in what could look like the open mouth of a snake. A cherubin is standing on a priest back. Such priest has is pants down and you can see his… well you can guess what the centrally located star is!
The technical bits:
The official website (only French I’m afraid): www.cathedrale-strasbourg.fr
Check for opening dates and time. The cathedral is obviously a functioning cathedral despite its millions of visitors.
On this page of the official website of the oeuvre Notre-Dame, you will find representations of the cathedral construction process: www.oeuvre-notre-dame.org Super nice to see.
A site of great interest: frenchmoments.eu
Dress appropriately!
The city of Strasbourg is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I’ll take you back there soon…
If you want to know everything about the Strasbourg Cathedral, this book is for you:
Yes, this is an Amazon affiliated link. If you decide to buy this book, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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