Ottonian
architecture flourished in the 10th and 11th centuries,
drawing inspiration from Carolingian and Byzantine architecture. Ottonian
architecture was first developed during the reign of Otto the Great (936-975)
and lasted until the mid 11th century. However, surviving examples
of this style of architecture are still found in parts of Germany and Belgium.
One of these well-preserved examples happens to be the convent church of St.
Cyriakus at Gernrode.
St. Cyriakus at Gernrode located in Gernrode, Germany. |
Margrave Gero,
whom not only played an important role in the German expansion into Slavic
islands, but also as an advisor to Emperor Otto I (Otto the Great), also had
his essential role in the establishment of this abbey church. An abbey is defined as a monastery or
convent occupied by a community of monks or nuns.
With his family
rooted in Gernrode, Gero made a generous donation to found a convent in memory
of his son, Siegfried, who had died heirless. The construction for this convent
began in 959, likely to be originally dedicated to St. Mary and St. Peter.
However, after Gero obtained the relics of an early 4th century
martyr Saint Cyriakus, in Rome around 950, and brought them to Gernrode in 963,
the abbey church was re-christened as Saint Cyriakus.1
The church contained
many details and inspirations from preceding early Christian basilicas in Rome,
such as the Saint Lorenzo (579-590) and Sant’ Agnese (625-638); from which it imitated
details such as its internal galleries and its system of alternating supports –
piers and columns – in the nave which would be of great significance for the
future. The church contained many details from Carolingian architecture in
general. It adopted the Carolignian double-ended variation on the Roman
basilica, featuring apses at the east and west ends of the church rather than
just the east.
Plan of St. Cyriakus at Gernrode. |
Section of St. Cyriakus at Gernrode. |
As most Ottonian
churches, the Cyriakus at Gernrode made generous use of the round arch, flat
ceilings, and massive rectangular piers located between columns in a rectangular
pattern. The central body of the church has a nave with two aisles lined by two
towers, characteristics of Carolignian architecture. However, it displays
novelties customary to that of Romanesque architecture such as the alternation
of the pillars and columns, the semi-blind arcades in the gallery on the nave,
and the column capitals decorated with acanthus leaves and human heads.2
Interior view of the convent facing the East. |
Interior view of the convent facing the West. |
Additions to the
church were constructed in the 11th and 12th centuries; which
included the west crypt, the galleries above the aisles, the taller western
towers and the Westwork. Then, in the 12th century, a shrine had
been built at the eastern end of the south aisle. The church was completed with
the building of the western apse in 1130.1
Today, in the
small community of Gernrode, the abbey church of Saint Cyriakus plays an imperative
role in the development of Ottonian architecture, evolving from the
Carolingian style which has grown unpopular throughout the years. It is now
part of the tourist route Romanesque Road, as an important example of an
Ottonian church which later inspired, fully Romanesque, churches and cathedrals.3
1 Aubrey, Dennis. "The Church of Saint
Cyriakus in Gernrode (Jong-Soung Kimm)." Via Lucis Photography: Photography
of Religious Architecture. N.p., 05 Jan. 2016. Web.
2 "Ottonian Architecture in the Early
European Middle Ages - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. Boundless,
n.d. Web
3 Antz, Christian, Rose-Marie Knape, and
Janos Stekovics. Strasse Der Romanik. Halle: Stekovics, 2001. Print.
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