Horny Moses

The "Liberation of Saint Peter" is an event described in the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 12:7 "And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands." Aelia Eudocia, consort of Valentinian II, had received these chains from Iuvenalis, bishop of Jerusalem. She later presented the relics to her daughter Empress Eudoxia (wife of Valentinian III), who finally bestowed the chains to Pope Leo I (aka "Leo the Great". According to the legend, Leo compared them to the chains of St. Peter's imprisonment in Rome - and miraculously the two chains fused together. The basilica San Pietro in Vincoli (= Saint Peter in Chains) was erected to house these valuable relics. It was consecrated in 439. The basilica underwent several restorations and further work in the eleventh century. Most people entering the church may not have come to see the chains, but the Tomb of Pope Julius II. But there is not only the statue of Moses, Michelangelo's undisputed master work. Moses has horns on his head, based on a description in the Vulgate, the translation of the Bible used at that time. Moses' head is described as "cornuta" there.

The "Liberation of Saint Peter" is an event described in the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 12:7 "And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands." Aelia Eudocia, consort of Valentinian II, had received these chains from Iuvenalis, bishop of Jerusalem. She later presented the relics to her daughter Empress Eudoxia (wife of Valentinian III), who finally bestowed the chains to Pope Leo I (aka "Leo the Great". According to the legend, Leo compared them to the chains of St. Peter's imprisonment in Rome - and miraculously the two chains fused together. The basilica San Pietro in Vincoli (= Saint Peter in Chains) was erected to house these valuable relics. It was consecrated in 439. The basilica underwent several restorations and further work in the eleventh century. Most people entering the church may not have come to see the chains, but the Tomb of Pope Julius II. But there is not only the statue of Moses, Michelangelo's undisputed master work. Moses has horns on his head, based on a description in the Vulgate, the translation of the Bible used at that time. Moses' head is described as "cornuta" there.

Merseburg was first mentioned in 850. King König Heinrich I. (Henry the Fowler) built a royal palace at Merseburg after having married the daughter of Count Erwin of Merseburg, so that the place came under the rule of the Saxon dynasty. In 955, after finally defeating the Hungarians at the Battle of Lechfeld, King Otto I vowed to found a diocese. Otto I founded the archbishopric of Magdeburg in 968 with the suffragan bishopric Merseburg, but the diocese was dissolved in 981 and only re-established in 1004 by King Heinrich II. Until the Protestant Reformation, Merseburg was the seat of the Bishop of Merseburg, in addition to being for a time the residence of the margraves of Meissen. It was a favorite residence of the German kings during the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. Fifteen diets were held here during the Middle Ages, during which time its fairs enjoyed the importance which was afterward transferred to those of Leipzig. In the years 1218/19, the area on the left bank of the Saale was protected by a city wall that adjoined the already fortified "Domfreiheit". Civil self-government of the city was first mentioned in 1289. In 1428, Merseburg, together with other towns and against the resistance of the bishops, joined the Hanseatic League, to which it was to belong until at least 1604. The town suffered severely during the German Peasants' War and also during the Thirty Years' War. Construction of the early Romanesque cathedral was begun by Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg in 1015. It was consecrated on 1 October 1021 in the presence of Emperor Heinrich II and his wife, Kunigunde. However, the eastern part of the building collapsed twice within a few years and had to be rebuilt. It was only in 1042 that the cathedral was formally opened. The early Romanesque structure still influences the appearance of today's cathedral. The lower parts of the choir, transept and western towers remain Romanesque as do the eastern towers. Only the crypt still maintains the original spatial impression, however. The shape of the windows was later changed to Gothic style, probably in the second quarter of the 13th century when a new narthex was added to the church. In the first half of the 13th century the western façade, the western towers were mostly reconstructed. It is also likely that the nave was changed substantially and largely attained its final form. Finally, the eastern towers were raised around the middle of the 13th century. One of them retains a Gothic roof, the other is topped by a Baroque roof. Under Bishop Thilo von Trotha (1466-1514) the nave was rebuilt, due to the building of the adjacent Schloss/palace. The old nave was demolished in 1510 and the new nave built between 1510 and 1514 . These panels, a kind of "biblia pauperum", were carved by the monk Caspar Schockholcz in 1446. They are part of the choir stalls. God talking to Moses, Last Supper, Jonah and The Whale, Elijah on his way to Heaven, King David