Six Buildings of the Carolingian Renaissance and Crusades

The Palatine Chapel in Aachen (AD 792–805)

The Palatine Chapel in Aachen was built as part of Charlemagne's palace complex. The palace was located north of the current city of Aachen, which today sits in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Favier, p. 286). Charlemagne intended the Palatine Chapel to serve as a place of religious worship and as a symbol of royal power (Favier, p. 502). The architect entrusted with constructing the chapel was Odo of Metz (Favier, p. 502). Metz created the massive structure and was likely a remarkable architect of his time; unfortunately, very little historical information about him survives.

Charlemagne was engaged in a political, economic, and territorial rivalry with the Byzantine Empire, and this — combined with the destruction of his palace at Worms — encouraged the creation of a grand new palace. Charlemagne chose the site of Aachen after careful consideration informed by his experiences as a military leader. Aachen's geographic location was an important factor: the site was centered in the Carolingian heartlands, which formed the cradle of Charlemagne's family (Favier, p. 288). Charlemagne envisioned the palace as a place offering tremendous advantages, including proximity to operations in Saxony, forests rich with game for hunting, and the benefit of natural hot springs (Favier, p. 289).

Charlemagne wanted the Palatine Chapel to emulate Roman architecture while also displaying characteristics of early Christian and Byzantine structures. The palace was a magnificent structure built with multi-colored marble, doors decorated with lion heads, and specially designed interior railings (Langmead & Garnaut, p. 60). The chapel featured a domed roof, an image of Christ in Majesty, an upper gallery with a dedicated throne area, and a main entrance dominated by a westwork (Langmead & Garnaut, p. 60). Westworks were a Carolingian invention — tall, monumental entrance structures that became a hallmark of the period (Langmead & Garnaut, p. 60).

The Palatine Chapel was inspired by Charlemagne's visits to Ravenna. After seeing the city, Charlemagne envisioned a great palace modeled on an octagonal church he had visited three times. The plan was inspired by the Basilica of San Vitale, built by Justinian I in the 6th century (Riche, p. 57). Historians also believe the chapel drew characteristics from the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, as well as the Chrysotriklinos — the main throne room of the Great Palace of Constantinople (Riche, p. 57).

Charlemagne ordered construction of the chapel in 792, as part of the broader building program for the palace complex (Conant, p. 47). Pope Leo III consecrated the palace in 805 in honor of the Virgin Mary (Conant, p. 47). The eastern portion was designed with a square apse, and the chapel's entrance featured a westward monumental atrium (Conant, p. 47). The overall plan and decoration combined Classical, Byzantine, and Pre-Romanesque architectural elements as part of Charlemagne's ambitious vision (Conant, p. 48).

Odo of Metz designed the palace with a simple exterior and a complex interior that included a double-shell octagonal dome, a two-story elevation, and elaborate decoration. A sixteen-sided ambulatory with an overhead gallery encircles the dome. Charlemagne requested mosaics, marble, and other raw materials sourced from Rome and Ravenna (Favier, p. 285). Barrel vaults, groin vaults, and an octagonal cloister-vault were borrowed from late Roman architecture (Favier, p. 285). Charlemagne urged Odo of Metz to use multi-colored marble veneer to create an awe-inspiring interior. Metz also incorporated spolia alongside newly carved materials. Bronze decorations of high value were placed throughout the palace.

The Palatine Chapel has undergone changes over time, some the result of invasion and other external influences. Most notably, a fire destroyed parts of the original octagonal roof. Replacements reflect 19th-century architectural sensibilities and depict the twenty-four Elders of the Apocalypse wearing crowns and standing around the base of the dome (Favier, p. 691). The French later added an apse to the eastern side, and a city hall was added in 1267 (Favier, p. 691). The Palatine Chapel in Aachen is a remarkable historical structure; in 1978 it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Lorsch Abbey (ca. AD 800)

The Lorsch Abbey is one of the most recognizable monasteries to emerge from the Franco-German Empire. The abbey is located about ten miles east of Worms, in the town of Hesse, Germany (Bullough, p. 132). Count Cancor and his widowed mother Williswinda founded Lorsch Abbey in 764 as a proprietary church and monastery on their estate, Laurissa. Cancor and Williswinda entrusted administrative duties to Chrodegang — Cancor's nephew and Archbishop of Metz — who dedicated the church and monastery to St. Peter and became the first abbot (Bullough, p. 132).

To increase the abbey's prominence, Chrodegang obtained the sacred relic of Saint Nazarius and placed it on display in the basilica (Bullough, p. 133). The abbey received donations that allowed it to flourish, and in 766 Chrodegang resigned his post to his brother Gundeland. Historically, many miracles were believed to have occurred at Lorsch Abbey, and as word spread, the monastery attracted pilgrims from across Europe (Bullough, p. 132). Many popes and emperors granted Lorsch Abbey favorable status and special privileges, which helped transform it into a center of political power and influence.

The abbey exhibited Pre-Romanesque characteristics and was built similarly to most churches of the early medieval period (McClendon, p. 99). Lorsch Abbey followed the conventional layout of the era: a main entrance at the western gate with an atrium and a burial court. The first atrium at Lorsch was a small courtyard with simple brick walls and no covered walkways (McClendon, p. 99).

To the south of the abbey was an enclosed rectangular court where the monks worked and lived; they were forbidden to leave this area (McClendon, p. 99). To accommodate this restriction, the enclosure included a kitchen, storeroom, sickbay, workshops, and a cellar. To the north, the abbey featured a typical cemetery or graveyard. Like many monasteries of the period, Lorsch Abbey faced challenges in obtaining goods from outside (Glick, Livesey, & Wallis, p. 399). The monks therefore grew their own fruits and herbs, using the herbs both to season meals and to prepare medicinal remedies for the sick (Glick, Livesey, & Wallis, p. 399).

Because Lorsch Abbey held territorial rights and privileges, it was frequently drawn into feuds and wars. The resulting damage left the abbey in ruins over time. In 1991, the ruined Lorsch Abbey was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (UNESCO, p. 379).

Krak des Chevaliers, Syria (AD 1144–1250)

The Krak des Chevaliers was a famous Crusader castle located in Syria. The word krak is derived from the Syriac word karak, meaning fortress (Lepage). The fortress is strategically situated east of Tartus, in the Homs Gap, atop a massive hill. Its position was significant because it commanded the only route from Antioch to Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea, enabling the Knights Hospitaller to project influence over Lake Homs, control the local fishing industry, and maintain a watchtower against Muslim armies gathering in Syria.

Built on the site of a former Kurdish or Arab fortress, Krak des Chevaliers stood 700 meters above the surrounding countryside, controlling access to the Orontes Valley. As Stierlin describes: "during the Crusades, in 1142, Raymond II, Count of Tripoli, donated this site, which controlled access to the plain of Bekaa, to the Knights Hospitaller" (Stierlin, p. 6). The small fortress was considered a strong defensive position overlooking the plain (Tyerman, p. 198). The Knights Hospitaller immediately set about doubling the thickness of the limestone walls — to 80 feet — and installing defensive machicolations to repel Muslim invaders. Lawrence hypothesizes several building stages: "in the inner ward the wall from the tower of entry L to the tower with buttress-machicoulis P, including the chapel M, appears earlier than the rest of the inner ward. Of the outer ward the whole south front is Arab, and the western side so far as tower D" (Lawrence, p. 94).

This great stronghold represented a significant advance in military architecture. Claster notes its impregnable walls, interior accommodations for 2,000 knights, a well-supplied water source, and a vast undercroft capable of storing a five-year supply of food (Claster, p. 263). Its position atop steep-sided slopes was enhanced by surrounding double walls, a moat with a drawbridge, and semi-circular towers. The towers were connected by a long vaulted passage "that enabled mounted knights to ride straight up into the impregnable heart of the fortress" (Billings, p. 83). Stylistically a Gothic fortress, Krak des Chevaliers is particularly notable for pioneering the covered box machicolation. From these covered, overhanging floor slots, defenders could fire stones downward against scaling attempts — an innovation that, as Lawrence notes, meant "assailants could never get underneath the fire of the defenders on the fighting platform" (Lawrence, p. 97). The machicolation was a landmark advance in military building, and combined with the castle's other formidable features, the architecture perfectly exemplifies the castle-building mastery of the Crusaders.

In addition to its imposing exterior, the castle contained a refined interior. Harrison speaks of a fusion of religious and military architecture — fortifications guided by religious design, construction, and function (Harrison, p. 4). He explains: "what is not usually appreciated is that the inner enceinte contains a monastic core of knights' hall, dormitory, cloister and chapel; here the warrior monk was totally isolated from the outside world and lived a life that could be separated from lay servants and mercenary soldiers" (Harrison, p. 5). The great hall and cloister featured ribbed architecture, while friezes, bosses, and capitals softened the facades of the central courtyard (Harrison, p. 42). According to Billings, "the Castellan of the Order had his splendid Gothic chamber, delicately carved and decorated, in the south-west tower; and in the courtyard below, you can still enter the Romanesque chapel and the refectory where crowned heads of Europe on Crusade would have been entertained" (Billings, p. 83). Krak des Chevaliers thus combined stylish Gothic elegance with formidable structural strength.

Throughout history, many invading armies attempted to besiege the fortress, and it changed over time as a result. In 1217, during the Fifth Crusade, King Andrew II of Hungary upgraded the outer walls and committed resources to the garrison (Lepage). The fortress was eventually captured by the Mamluk Sultan Baibars, who used a forged letter to trick the defenders into surrendering. Baibars subsequently strengthened the castle and used it as a base against Tripoli (Lepage).

Historians have long praised Krak des Chevaliers. T. E. Lawrence described it as "perhaps the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world" (Albright, p. 167). In 1935 the French government purchased the site, and Pierre Coupel began a restoration program comparable to earlier work at the Tower of Lions and two castles at Sidon (Albright, p. 167). Krak des Chevaliers is one of the few sites where Crusader art has been preserved over time, and it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.