Diocesan Museum, Bamberg

Statues of Heinrich and Kunigunde, in the porch of Bamberg Cathedral. Statues of Heinrich and Kunigunde, in the porch of Bamberg Cathedral.

The Roman Catholic cathedral of Bamberg, Germany (Bamberger Dom), is dedicated to St. Peter and St. George. The building of the cathedral was commissioned in AD 1004 by Heinrich II (973-1024) and was completed in the thirteenth century. There are stone statues of St. Heinrich II and his wife, St. Kunigunde, in the entrance porch.

The treasury of Bamberg Cathedral is now included in the Diocesan Museum (Diözesanmuseum) and includes a number of medieval textiles and embroideries. In particular, it houses several imperial (Holy Roman Emperor) garments that belonged to Heinrich II and his queen, St. Kunigunde of Luxemburg (Cunegunda). They date from AD 1002-1024. These items include the Sternenmantel of Heinrich II, the Great Mantle of St. Kunigunde, the Cope of St. Kunigunde, the belt of Kunigunde, as well as various papal vestments associated with Clement II who died 1047 and was buried in Bamberg, the only pope ever to be buried north of the Alps.

Clement II (1005-1047) was the bishop of Bamberg before he became Pope in 1046. Unfortunately he died one year later. He was buried in Bamberg, hence items relating to him form part of the treasury.

Address: Diözesanenmuseum Bamberg, Domplatz 5, 96049 Bamberg.

Source: JUNG, Norbert, and Holger KEMPKENS (2014). Gekrönt auf Erden und im Himmel. Das heilige Kaiserpaar Heinrich II. und Kunigunde, Münsterschwarzach: Vier-Türme-Verlag, and Diözesanmuseum Bamberg.

Museum website (retrieved 25th May 2016)

Bamberg Cathedral website (retrieved 25th May 2016)

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 25th May 2016)

See also the TRC blog for 11th June 2016.

GVE

Last modified on Tuesday, 11 August 2020 15:56
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