medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: John Dillon <[log in to unmask]>
> I too used to think of this building as a gatehouse. But the
English-language account of the monastery's building history given on the
museum's present website
> http://www.kloster-lorsch.de/lingua/englisch.html
> says otherwise:
> "With the disappearance of the first atrium the necessity came up to
construct a new atrium in the west. Most probably the big courtyard with it's
two big covered walks on both sides was built at that time, the last quarter
of the ninth century. Together with this courtyard the famous "King’s
Hall“ which has nothing to do with the monastery's gateway, was erected
nothing to do with the "gateway" to the whole monastery, perhaps but, from its
position (to say nothing of its shape) it was surely a "gateway" to the
"atrium" (forecourt) of the church --criminey, it is placed on the same axis
as the portal of the church.
> "Because we don't know the function of the building as a whole we also
cannot say anything about the use of this the room in the upper floor. We can
only exclude it's utilization as a chapel in carolingian time. The neutral
mural paintings don't allow such a conclusion anyway.
??
these paintings
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/01010/01010e.jpg
?
which are both late medieval
>It was in gothic time, at the end of 14th century, that the gabled roof was
made as steep as is now."
and hardly "neutral"
> That text seems based on Dr. Hermann Schefers' German-language discussion on
the same site (from the Kuratorium Weltkulturdenkmal Kloster Lorsch e.V.):
> http://www.kloster-lorsch.de/kloster/bauwerk.html
> especially:
> "Mit der Funktionsbestimmung der „Königshalle“ sind sogar noch
größere Unsicherheiten verbunden.
> [Various conjectures:] Als von der Architektur römischer Triumphbögen
inspiriertes Denkmal des durch Karl den Großen wiederbelebten lateinischen
Kaisertums,
yes, as would befit a "gateway" to the atrium of the church.
> [Favored view:] Am meisten Plausibilität dürfte aber derzeit die von Achim
Hubel erörterte Möglichkeit für sich beanspruchen, daß die Lorscher
„Königshalle“ dem Beispiel einer vergleichbaren Baulichkeit in St.
Emmeram (Regensburg) aus dem Umfeld Ludwigs des Deutschen für das nicht
zuletzt ja auch liturgisch begangene Ereignis und Zeremoniell des
Herrscherempfangs nachgebildet und ausgestattet worden sein dürfte. Damit
gewinnt die Vorstellung einer dem Herrscher zugedachten Baulichkeit inmitten
des „Prozessionsweges“ zur Klosterkirche zusätzliches Gewicht. Nur eben
die Kennzeichnung als profanes Bauwerk müßte dann revidiert werden."
not inconsistent with an atrium "gateway", if my Dodgey Kraut is worth
anything at all.
c
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