15 October 2023 Trier
This morning we were docked in Riol, a town about 30 minutes
from Trier. For our morning tour of
Trier, we were bused from Riol to Trier.
As we entered Trier, we saw the old Roman Bridge. It is the oldest standing bridge in the
country, with nine bridge pillars dating from the 2nd century AD. The bottom of
the pillars are the only original part of the bridge. The upper part has been renewed twice, in the
early 12th and in the early 18th century.
Near the bridge was the Monument to Constantine the Great.
We also drove past the ruins of the old Roman Imperial
Baths. It was built by Constantine and
is the biggest of Trier’s three Roman baths and the most intricate bath of the
Roman world. Because of Trier’s cold climate
and Constantine’s huge ego, these Imperial baths required a two-story
subterranean complex of pipes, furnaces, and slave galleys to keep the water at
a perfect 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Unfortunately, the baths never worked quite right and were left
unfinished after Constantine left. It is
still an active site with a lot of reconstruction going on.
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| Old Roman Bridge |
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| Monument to Constantine |
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| Old Roman Baths |
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| Old Roman Baths |
Trier is Germany’s oldest city. In 2000 B.C., according to legend, the
Assyrians established a colony here, and archaeological findings indicate a
pre-Roman Celtic civilization. The buildings and monuments still standing
today, however, date from Roman and later periods.
The city known to the Romans as Augusta Treverorum possesses
some of the best-preserved remnants from that era north of the Alps. Founded under Emperor Augustus in 15 B.C.,
its former grandeur earned it the title Roma Secunda -- the second Rome. For
nearly five centuries, well into the Christian era, Trier remained one of
Europe's power centers. When Emperor
Diocletian (who ruled the Roman Empire from AD 285-305) divided his
overextended Roman Empire into four sectors, he made Trier the capital of the
west (roughly modern-day Germany, France, Spain, and England). For most of the 4th century, this city of
80,000, with a four-mile wall, four great gates, and 47 round towers was a
favorite of Roman emperors. Emperor
Constantine used the town as the capital of his fading Western Roman
Empire. Many of the Roman buildings were
constructed under Constantine before he left for Constantinople. In 480, Trier fell to the Franks. Today all that remains of the Roman fort are
the Porta Nigra, basilica, baths, and amphitheater.
After arriving in Trier, our Program Director took us on a
walking tour of the main part of the city.
It was a Sunday morning so many of the businesses, churches and museums
were closed. We walked to the Basilica or Imperial Throne Room which is the
largest intact Roman structure outside of Rome.
Although best known as a Basilica, it started out as a throne room. Looking up at the ceiling inside the building
and you will see squares measuring 10’ by 10’.
During its time as a throne room, it was decorated with golden mosaics,
rich marble, colorful stucco, and busts of Constantine and his family filling
the seven niches. Constantine’s throne
sat under a canopy. The windows in the
apse around him were smaller than the ones along the side walls, making his
throne seem bigger. The last emperor
moved out in AD 395, and petty kings moved into the building throughout the
Middle Ages. By the 12th century, the
bishops had taken it over and converted it to a five-story palace. The building became a Lutheran church in
1856, and remains the only Lutheran church in Trier. There was a church service in progress so we
could not enter. However, on our last
cruise up the Mosel we did go inside the Basilica, but there is really nothing
to see. It is a large room with very
little in the way of decorations. With
the exception of one small cross and several racks of religious pamphlets, you
would not know it was a church.
Next to the Basilica is the Electoral Palace that during the
4th century was part of the Ancient Roman Imperial Palace used by
Constantine. From the 16th –
18th centuries it was the residence of the Archbishops and Electors
of Trier. Today it is the location for
classical music concerts and is home to several government offices. It has a beautifully groomed courtyard with
many flowers still in bloom in front of the impressive pink structure.
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| Basilica |
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| Basilica |
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| Grounds of the Electoral Palace |
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| Electoral Palace |
As we walked from the Basilica to the dual churches of the
Liefrauenkirch (Church of our Lady) and the Cathedral of St. Perter (Trier
Cathedral), we walked under an arch containing a statue of Christ and the
Crucifixion on top. Just past the arch,
you come first to The Liebfrauenkirch. This
church was begun in 1235 and is the earliest church outside of France to be
built in the French High Gothic architecture.
The ground plan is in the shape of a Greek cross, creating a circular
effect with all points equidistant from the central high altar. The structure is supported by 12 circular
columns, which represent the 12 apostles (or the 12 tribes of Israel). On each
column is written the name of an apostle and one of the 12 articles of the
Apostles Creed Unlike the Cathedral, the
interior is bathed in sunlight and filled with stained glass windows.
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| Archway Leading to the Churches |
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| The Liebfrauenkirch (Church of Our Lady) |
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| Statues at the Entrance to Church of Our Lady |
The main feature of this town (after the Porta Nigra) is the
Cathedral, the oldest church in Germany.
St Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine (who legalized Christianity
in the Roman Empire in AD 312) allowed part of her palace to be used as the
first church on this spot. She also
donated several relics to the church, including the Holy Robe, said to have
been worn by Jesus at his crucifixion and a nail said to have been used in the
crucifixion.
In AD 326, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his reign,
Emperor Constantine began the construction of St. Peter’s in Rome and this huge
cathedral in Trier (also called St. Peter’s).
Looking at the church from the outside, it looks more like a
fortress. The current cathedral is
actually now the third church to stand on this spot. It was begun in 1035 in the Romanesque style,
but with its many renovations, its style reflects all the periods of classical,
medieval and modern times architectures.
Inside are the tombs of archbishops that lived from the 12th
to the 18th century.
Again, there were services going on in both churches so it
was not possible to enter.
The Square where the two churches are located is called
Domfreihof and it is also the location of the Palais Walderforff. The Palais, built during the 18th
century, was for the city electors. Today
it is a restaurant.
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| Trier Cathedral and Church of Our Lady |
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| Trier Cathedral |
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| Domfreihof Square and Palais Walderforth |
We then walked to the Market Square, one of Trier’s largest
squares. which is generally filled with people, fruit stands, flowers, painted
facades, and fountains. In the center of
the square is the market cross. It is
located only a block away from the cathedral, which was the seat of the
archbishop. In medieval times, the
cathedral was its own walled city, and the archbishop of Trier was one of the
seven German electors who chose the Holy Roman Emperor (giving the archbishop
tremendous political, as well as spiritual, power). The stone market cross, built in 958,
celebrates the trading rights given to the archbishop By King Otto the
Great. This was a slap in the face to
Trier’s townspeople, since trading rights were usually reserved for free cities
– which they wanted to become. The cross
was built on an ancient Roman pillar where people were chained as punishment
and humiliation if they broke the law. The four chain holes can still be
seen. (You can see them if you enlarge the second picture of the Stone Cross - click on the picture and select the 4th icon and then lick on the down arrow and select Extra Large). In one corner of the square is the
1595 Petrusbrunnen, a fountain dedicated to St. Peter and the Four Virtues – Fortitude,
Temperance, Justice, and Wisdom.
Across the square is the 15th-century Town Hall
(Steipe). The townspeople wanted a town
hall, but the archbishop would not allow it, so they built an “assembly hall”
instead, with a knight on each second-story corner. The knight on the left, facing the Market
Square has his mask up, watching over his people. The older knight, facing the cathedral and
the bishop, has his mask down and his hand on his sword, ready for battle.
Tensions mounted over the next 30 years.
The Gothic tower of the Church of St. Gangolf, the medieval
townspeople’s church and fire watchman’s post has a tall white steeple with
yellow trim. From medieval times to now,
a bell has rung nightly at 22:00 reminding the local drunks to go home. In 1507, Trier’s mayor built the new Gothic
tower to make the people’s church higher than the cathedral. A Latin Bible verse adorns the top in gold
letters: “Stay awake and pray.” In retaliation, the bishop raised one tower
of his cathedral (all he could afford), continuing the Town Hall’s verse: “For you never know the hour when the Lord
will come.” As a final sign of
rebellion, the townspeople erected a statue of Mary on the hill on the other
side of the river that stood higher than the Cathedral’s tower. Sounds like a medieval soap opera. Today the Town Hall is a restaurant.
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| Market Square |
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| Petrusbrunnen, |
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| Tower of the Church of St. Gangolf |
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| Stone Cross |
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| Stone Cross |
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| Half-timbered Buildings in the Square |
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| Old Town Hall |
Our last stop on this walking tour was the Porta Nigra
(Black Gate), the only remaining city gate (out of four) which was built by the
Romans in AD 200.
The impressive thing
about this gate is that it was built without mortar.
Holes were drilled into the sandstone rocks
(one on the right side of the rock and one on the left side of the neighboring
rock and then iron pegs with a metal bar across their top (like a staple) were
placed in the hole that was then filled with molten metal.
For several years in the early 1000’s, Saint
Simon (a Greek recluse) lived inside the gate.
After his death in 1035, the gate was made into a church – a lay church
on the bottom and the Saint Simeon monastery on the top.
The tower on one side of the church was
turned into the apse.
As a result, the
gate (now considered a church) was spared destruction by invading troops from
France.
Outside the Porta Nigra was a
bronze statue of
Karl Marx, a gift from
the Chinese government.
Karl Marx was
born in Trier on May 5, 1818.
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| Porta Nigra from Inside Trier |
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| Entrance to Trier from Port Nigra Gate |
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| Statue of Karl Marx |
Trier was heavily damaged during WWII and most of the
buildings that you see now have been reconstructed after the war. Although an attempt was made to rebuild them
in their original style, the town has a more modern look than many of the towns
we visited, even Market Square with its half-timbered shops and houses.
We then returned to our ship for lunch, and spent the rest
of the day on the ship.
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