When I left off last time, we were beginning to make our way across France to our final pet-/house-sitting destination on the Western border of the country, in the Charente-Maritime region.
Robin was planning to white-knuckle and just push directly through from Prague to our destination, but of course I wasn’t having it—not when I found cathedrals along the way!
I convinced him to make a couple of stops just to indulge me.
First I twisted his arm to stop at Speyer Cathedral (officially it’s the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St. Stephen) located in Speyer, Germany—and it also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage site, which heightened its attractiveness to visit.
A basilica with four towers and two domes, this cathedral was founded by Conrad II in 1030 and remodeled at the end of the 11th century. It is considered one of the most important Romanesque monuments from the time of the Holy Roman Empire and was the burial place of the German emperors for nearly 300 years.
In 1025, Conrad II ordered its construction, intending it to be the Western Christian world’s largest church, and construction began in 1030 on an elevated plateau by the Rhine but safe from high water.
Not unlike Santiago de Compostela (begun in 1075), Cluny Abbey (begun in 1085), and Durham Cathedral (begun in 1093), it was considered the most ambitious project of its time.
The entrance door is itself a sermon cast in bronze. Lower reliefs depict stories from the Old Testament pertaining to the Creation and Primordial History as related in the Book of Genesis. Upper reliefs draw from the New Testament and present scenes from the life of Jesus.
The narrowness of the portal represents the narrow gate to heaven as Jesus described it in the book of Matthew. Above the portal is a depiction of Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” giving his farewell discourse as described in the Gospel of John: “Ut unum sint—that all might be one!” This was intended as a memorial to the unity of the Church.
Speyer cathedral is said to be historically, artistically, and architecturally one of the most significant examples of Romanesque architecture in Europe, and is today the biggest Romanesque church in the world (and how I love Romanesque).
Considered a masterpiece of medieval architecture in Germany, Speyer Cathedral was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981.
As one writer observed of the cathedral’s composition:
“[It] is an interior of monumental power, albeit stark and prismatic when compared with contemporary French buildings, but one which conveys an impression of Roman gravitas, an impression singularly appropriate for a ruler with the political pretensions of Henry IV [who ordered parts of its construction].”
I resonated with this sentiment because Speyer Cathedral was a bit stark and off-putting for my tastes. Yes it’s Romanesque, but not a warm and friendly or even spiritual-feeling Romanesque—but rather a cold, austere, and off-putting Romanesque. (Robin felt the same way about it.)
Off to one side and up a flight of stairs is St. Catherine Chapel, which is the relic and confession chapel for the cathedral. The chapel featured a number of interesting relics, which may have been the most interesting part of the cathedral for me—perhaps because it evoked the “other world” in somewhat concrete fashion.
The crypt, which we paid to visit, dates from the cathedral’s earliest building phase. It is considered one of the largest and most beautiful crypts of the Western world. Four sections unite into a hall crypt that underpins the crossing and the entire transept. Rising up 23 feet, these vaults were unusually tall for a crypt.
A passage in the crypt leads to the simple burial grounds of medieval emperors and kings. It was designed and vaulted in its current form between the years 1900 and 1906. Eight emperors and kings and three empresses are buried inside the cathedral of Speyer.
I found a couple of lion sculptures in the crypt, but it was generally barren down there.
Returning outside once more, the exterior vestibule featured a large sculptural program of royal power and personage with various individuals honored in effigy form.
No doubt the cathedral is a place of historical significance for all Germans as it is not only religious in nature, but also studded with statues of emperors and kings reaching far back into an ancient past while also appearing surprisingly clean, crisp, and modern. You’d swear it was built this century, not a thousand years ago.
I was tickled—as I always am—by the many whimsical carvings scattered around the vestibule on the exterior façade that broke up these potent displays of power and royal presence.
But even these creatures were a bit on the stark side, as if merely copying the whimsy we have found festooned on misericords, or as hunky-punks, gargoyles, and similar elements. They didn’t bring their usual charm and magic—or at least not enough to offset the sense of austerity.
Whilst heading for the car park to make our departure, we stumbled over a sculpture garden on the cathedral grounds said to feature effigies of the Salian Emperors (who comprise some of the royalty buried in the crypt). Robin was drawn to this particular statue, intended to showcase Henry IV in heroic battle with a fierce creature. And it was evocative.
But we needed to hustle and get out of there, unfortunately missing the cathedral’s museum, treasury, and part of the sculpture garden (darn it!), or we weren’t going to make it to our hotel room by a decent hour.
As it was, we ended up on the freeway during a downpour that caused Robin to keep trying to cover up our roof-top luggage with a tarp, which kept blowing off, to the consternation of fellow drivers on the road, who certainly let us know about it. Robin told me we wouldn’t be able to make it to my next targeted cathedral—Metz Cathedral—and I felt quite disappointed. I asked whether we could at least drive past the exterior.
Robin reprogrammed the GPS to take us there, and Google Maps announced perkily that the cathedral would close within one hour of our arrival there—hooray! I was going to see the second cathedral after all!
Robin dropped me off out in front of it and drove off to find parking while I dashed inside.
Metz Cathedral is nicknamed la Lanterne du Bon Dieu (“the Good Lord’s lantern”) on account of its displaying the largest expanse of stained glass in the world, totaling 69,920 square feet.
Its stained glass windows include works by Gothic and Renaissance master glass makers Hermann von Münster, Theobald of Lixheim, and Valentin Bousch. Later artistic styles are represented by Charles-Laurent Maréchal (Romanticism), Roger Bissière (Tachism), Jacques Villon (Cubism), and Marc Chagall.
The present cathedral building was begun in the early 14th century and boasts the third-highest nave of any cathedral in France. We had mere minutes to race through the cathedral and gawk at its features before they threw us out and closed up. But still—we got inside! And I definitely had an eyeful of “the Good Lord’s lantern.”
Unfortunately, the gift shop was closed (of course), so I’ll have to find a guide somewhere else so I can take a closer look at what I missed on our mad dash through. (It does make a difference if I’ve been there once—I can feel it in my bones, and that holds my interest when I read up on it later.)
After we were booted out, I took the time to gaze at and enjoy the cathedral’s exterior carvings, which were lavish and extensive. I was reminded in many ways of Chartres and Conques, two elaborately decorated cathedrals I love.
Thankfully there was no further sign of rain, so we got back on the road and headed for our hotel—our final hotel stay on this long trek we’ve been on.
Unfortunately, my cathedral shenanigans made us quite late, and we drove well into the darkness in order to get to our destination. Night fell, and we wondered where we might grab a bite of dinner.
Then Robin saw it:
—a 24-hour pizza vending machine! He asked me whether we should try it—and I said “yes!”
Here is a 4:14 video of a pizza vending machine making our pizza (I put it on pause in the middle so you don’t have to suffer through every second). Robin was simply fascinated by this technology!
Was it the best pizza we’ve ever had? Hell no. But it was food, and we were starving.
Long story short: we arrived at our hotel before dawn, slept for a few hours, got dressed, and drove a couple of hours to our next sit for Colin and Lynn, who live in a sprawling French farmhouse in the rural countryside.
We met Willow and Poppy and were given meticulous instructions for how to keep them happy. (I think you can see who Willow claimed as “her human.”)
Poppy stays pretty scarce, but when Willow is hungry, she makes no bones about wanting something to eat. Here she is pestering Robin for some food after his nap.
She’s a tiny cat, but she knows how to get the humans’ attention! She stands downstairs in an “echo chamber” of some kind and hollers until she gets fed—and she hollers about eight times a day, starting early in the morning. Here’s a 1:12 video to give you a taste:
Now that we’ve touched down again, we’re wrapping up two issues of Psychological Perspectives and gearing up for a third.
I’m preparing my two upcoming virtual presentations, and starting to tee up sightseeing in the region. This is Romanesque heaven! I don’t know how we’re going to squeeze in everything we want to see.
I’m also working with a couple of fabulous coaching clients who are learning a great deal about themselves and getting excited about their future—which is awesome to witness.
If you’d like help learning about yourself too, please connect with me! Now that we’re settled into a new sit, I’m aching to help a few more people become their best selves. It’s a great way to gear up for the upcoming holidays. Click here to learn more about my Individuation Coaching program and enroll.
I hope to hear from you!
warmly,
-Dr. Vicky Jo