Martin M. Miles' photos

..another bishop - and three of the four froglike lions...

The font in St. Kilian was carved around 1170 in the grey local sandstone. As the most people of his time in Europe, the sculptor probably never had seen a lion. So the four animals here look a bit like frogs, but they are - lions. Here you see (over the lions) three bishops.

The parish church St. Kilian in Brenken, about 20kms south east of Paderborn. Built within the 13th century. As the fortified tower is much older, it may be, that the church we see today had a carolingian ancestor.

..there was a very narrow stair leading down into the dark. A strange smell. Reached the end of the stair. Now it was pitchdark. There was an iron grill. I walked on very cautiosly and found out, that there was a big pillar. The only way, to see that, was to use the flashlight. So I saw, that in the middle of the low dark crypt of the small church is a massive pillar with an archaic capital, compared to the carvings "upstairs". Maybe the crypt is older..

The crypt of the Abdinghof church is probably the most authentic part of medieval architecture here. Maybe the "greacos operarios", mentioned before, worked here. This is the place, where sarcophag of Bishop Meinwork stood from 1036 until it was moved "upstairs" into the central nave. From there it was moved again, after the church got protestant mid 19th century. Now the remains rest in the crypt of the cathedral.

After Bishop Meinwerk had finished the work on the destroyed cathedral, he (re)founded and (re)built the Abdinghof-Abbey (St. Peter and St. Paul) in 1014, that was like the cathedral burnt down in the year 1000. The abbey later was known for it´s library and it´s scriptorium. 1093 the abbey bought the Externsteine, that´s when the sulptures on the stones were carved. It burnt down a couple of times over the centuries, got raided during the Thirty-Years War. 1803 the last monks had to leave the abbey. 1815 the prussian armee moved into the buildings. Mid 1860 this is a ruin, but gets rebuilt and in 1871 this is the first protestant parish church in Paderborn. Bombed and burned down in March 1945 the abbey was lost, but the church got reconstructed during the 1950s. The westwork, we see today is a "reconstruction" of the 19th century. Archeologists proved, that the church from around 1050 had an apse in the west and probably smaller spires.

On the right - the cathedral. In the middle - the small Bartholomew Chapel, in front - small walls - and another building with a lead roof on the right. After WWII the cathedral was damaged. The chapel had survived untouched. All the residential buildings around were in ruins. When all the rubble was taken away, these foundatios were found. The foundations of the royal palace, built for and used by Charlemagne. Here he met Pope Leo III, who fled Rome in 777. In the 1960s archeologists found more. Next to Charlemagnes palace stood the palace built for Heinrich II. This was rebuilt and houses a museum today. The wall on the left belongs to that.

From the back it looks pretty common again. The complex of buildings next to the chapel is part of the "reconstructed" imperial palace, used by the kings and emperors, when they visited Paderborn, what they did pretty frequently. They used the chapel as a kind of royal dressing room. Here they stored the insignia and dressed up, before entering the cathedral.

What looks like one of the many small romanesque chapels from outside is the first hallchurch (three naves!) north of the Alps. The kind of vaults used here are totally new, forming domes. The pillars are very elegant - and there is light! Lots of light. Obviously the craftsmen from Byzanz did a little masterpiece, a kind of sample item to impress their employer. The "Vita Meinwerci", written 1165, states about the building, that it was "per graecos operarios construxit" - built by greek workers. Probably greek here means from the "Eastern Roman Empire".

Just about 10 meters north of the cathedral, built 1017...This chapel has a long story. 1000 the cathedral burnt down. One of the many reasons for Heinrich II to appoint Meinwerk bishop was probably, that Meinwerk originated from a wealthy family. He had the funds to start the rebuilding - and he did that immidatly with a new layout. He was bishop and close political supporter of Heinrich II. Three times he accompanied Heinrich II to Italy. In 1014 he even went with him to southern Italy, where he met a couple of very talented craftsmen. He hired them right away, and as soon, as they had reached Paderborn, they started to built this chapel. The "Vita Meinwerci", written 1165, states about the building "per graecos operarios construxit". They were probably from Byzanz, as they showed a total new style. The outside my look pretty common, but see the inside....

Graffiti on the outside wall.

The "Paradies Portal" (with some snow flying in the foreground). The cathedral has a kind of "narthex" - like many french churches, This area was much bigger upto the mid of the 19th century. The sculptured portal is the largest of it´s kind in Westphalia. It was carved early 13th century. The carvers obviously started "romanic" - and mixed in some early "gothic" style later. St. Mary on the trumeau in the middle. Standing! Left and right on the doors are wooden statues of St. Kilian and St. Liborius (12th.), both tightly wooven into the history of the Paderborn diocese. Some of the bigger sculptures left and right are easy to "read". St. Peter (key), St. James (shell), but not all. On the very right is St. Katharina, stepping on the (heathenly) roman emperor Maxentius.

Since generations all kids want to see the "Window of Three-Hares" in the cloister. There is an old rhyme about three hares with three ears - and nevertheless, eachone has two....

The central nave does not show any romanesque traces. It is wide, bright and on the sides very baroque. During the 30 years war, the cathedral was raided by a protestant "war-lord", who melted the shrine of St. Liborius and had coins made out of the metal. "Gottes Freund - Pfaffen Feind" was stamped in ("Friend of God - Enemy of clerics").

The steeple was built within the 13th century, but changed over the time. Renovating it end of the 19th century, it got the look, it has today, though the top part (the little green roofs and everyting above) is from the mid 1950s, as it was bombed during WWII. The greyish building on the left is the museum of the diocese, which shows the "Dom-Schatz" - the treasure.

The magi riding on horsebacks, approaching Bethlehem. The two first show the direction with their hand. The annunciation to the shepherds. Another angle guards the swaddled Jesus in the crib. Ox and ass watch him as well.

The side door, showing the three Magi on the lintel and fighting scenes on the rigt pillar..

The top part of the pight pillar next to the main entrance