WHERE GUMBO WAS #332
Breisach, Germany is a small town along the Rhine with an impressive ancient cathedral set high on a hill above it. The cathedral seems too grand for such a small place, but its location on the river and its fortifications remind us that in past ages such towns could grow rich from tolls on shipping on the river.
In fact, the foundations of the church are heavily intertwined with the former walls and fortifications that protected the town and allowed it to keep on collecting. Today, most of the town is on the plain along the river, but when the cathedral was first built, in the late 12th century, its location was the heart of town. 
The original building was late Romanesque, but, like most huge cathedrals, it took a long time to build, both for financial reasons and the sheer scale of the work. By the time it was first ‘finished’ in the 15th century, large parts bore the mark of Gothic styles. Art work within the church also shows changing styles. and some of it is quite recent, dating to the 1990s.
Some of it is quite recent, dating to the 1990s, including this ‘celebration altar’ made by Franz Gutmann, a local artist, from 150-year old oak wood. It was part of a project to open up the church to worshipers in post-Vatican II style without abandoning the historic high altar at the end of the nave.
Among the most important artwork in the Cathedral is a triptych mural of Judgement Day by 15th century artist Martin Schongauer. Much of it is in poor condition, but a full restoration is planned. Between 1985 and 1993, work was done to remove layers of overpainting and decay. Quite aside from damage during the bombing of Breisach in World War II, there had been centuries of overpainting and alteration, and at one point a complete coat of whitewash. By 1885, no one even knew there was a painting!
There are a number of quite recent windows, which make no attempt to mimic lost originals; they stand on their own. Among the more unusual is the wheel-patterned equivalent of a rose window in the west wall.
Aside from the Schongauer murals, Saint Stephan’s ancient art includes the high altar, made by a sculptor known today only as ‘Master HL.’ Its three panels depict a variety of religious scenes and figures. It, too, has had a difficult history. Installed in 1526, it survived a period of iconoclasm also marked by the painting over of the murals, and again survived World War II bombing.
Much of the time it wasn’t even in Breisach; it was saved in Freiburg and returned to Breisach in 1949. During its stay in Freiburg, it was stripped of paint that had been applied in the 19th century.
This sliver reliquary was our first Where in the World clue, but it was enough for George G to come up with the correct answer. PortMoresby also came up with the correct location. The reliquary is said to contain the bones of St Gervase and St Protasius, twins who are said to have been Christian martyrs in Nero’s time. The local legend is that their remains were taken from Milan by Barbarossa and given to Breisach. To this day, Milan claims to still have them, but not the artwork Breisach commissioned to celebrate them.
A few more views within the Cathedral…
And the bells. Saint Stephan has eight of them, five old and three quite new. When I visited, they were lined up along one of the aisles to allow repair work on the tower in which they normally hang. The oldest bell dates to around 1350. Another was added in the 15th century, two more in the 16th and one in the 17th. The last three were cast and hung in 2011 and 2012, including the largest, which weighs 3850 kilos, or more than four tons.
The Angelus bell, above, is a 1662 middleweight, ringing in at 1200 kilos.
