Charlemagne’s Palaces: Aachen and Ingelheim – A Comparative Study
Charlemagne’s Palaces: Aachen and Ingelheim
It retains little, did some wine tasting, is preserved on all that is part of the aula regia reconstruction and the Palatine Chapel.
As for Aix-la-Chapelle, it was a town of Roman origin that had a hot spring. Alcuin of York said that he just discussed theology in a bath with Charlemagne.
Reconstruction of the Ingelheim Palatine Complex (near Mainz)
Located on the banks of the Rhine, near Mainz, archaeological excavations by K. Weidemann led to a reconstruction of the Ingelheim palatine complex. The clarity of the design reflects the application of a well-understood Roman villa typology. He also created a monumental chamber closing the southern flank of the palace.
The exedra header was frequently used, as seen in Cercadilla, likely linked to the imperial family.
The Aachen Palatine Complex (The Second Rome)
We know from Einhard, the emperor’s biographer, that he visited Ravenna in 787 and asked the Pope to send him mosaics, marble pieces, and other art objects for use in the new imperial residence being built.
He commissioned its construction to Eudes de Metz, and by 805, there is evidence that it was finished.
The chapel is still standing, in direct connection with the palatium.
Hall Regi – passage / poterie – chapel.
Only the Palatine Chapel, today’s Aachen Cathedral, and remains of the throne room are preserved.
Einhard already mentioned that the zone suffered an earthquake in the early 9th century.
At the beginning of the century, various archaeological surveys in the area revealed evidence of what once stood. We know that many more structures have been lost, now covered by the urban fabric.
Pavilions with a patio. The aula regia actually ends with a semicircular apse and two apses in the north and south. It must have been very similar to the Lateran Palace of Leo III.
The Palatine Chapel (St. Vital)
It is a work, except for St. Vital, with a unique layout, including the mausoleums.
Construction began in 790 and was consecrated by Leo III in 805.
Originally dedicated to St. Mary, it served as the emperor’s private chapel.
Among the most famous relics housed in this chapel was a piece of the cloak of St. Martin of Tours.
Sources indicate that the artisans were from this area or part of the Mediterranean, which, despite the Eastern layout, excludes people from beyond the Mediterranean, the Byzantine Empire. Einhard would have been referring to Italian artists and craftsmen.
He asked her to bring parts of Ravenna, but probably not all.
Doors (circa 800)
- 4m in height, weight 4500 kg.
- Protoman decoration of lions.
- Heavily restored, sometimes excessively, mosaics. Rebuilt in the time of Kaiser Wilhelm III based on descriptions.
The layout is very similar to that of San Vitale.
The layout features a large faceted ambulacrum. And part of the head with a quadrangular apse, entry stairs, and at the top, a matroneum species around the central dome.
The façade was conceived as a triumphal arch, a space with galleries and polychrome marble.
Octagonal base in the center, with a deamulacrum at the top and bottom.
Interior
Smaller than St. Vital.
The octagonal cupola and the reconstruction of the mosaics are from the era of Charlemagne, but the reconstruction is based on descriptions and drawings from the nineteenth century.
In the center of the central dome would appear the Pantocrator seated on a starry background, and below, the 24 elders of Revelation.