Cologne Cathedral.

A biblical event, an urban legend, a Cathedral they say is still unfinished.

It all started when ‘ three men from the East’ studied a prophecy.

What did they study?

Numbers 24:17

Balaam speaking: ‘ I shall see him but not now: I shall behold him , but not close/nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Seth.’

Then the town of Bethleham is seen by these wisemen in Micah’s prophecy:

Micah 5:2

‘ But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old from everlasting.’

And then because Daniel was in Babylon this prophecy with a time line for Messiah could have been studied by them.

Here it is in diagram form and then the passage from the Bible.

The sections match with the following Bible verses.

Daniel 9: 24-27

This study and their knowledge of the stars first lead them to ask questions of the Jewish leaders and Herod in Jerusalem.

Matthew 2 tells of their experience. They eventually find Jesus and give them their gold, frankincense and myrrh, but in a God given dream they are told not to return to Herod but go back another way to their homeland. Herod then kills all the children under the age of two in Bethlehem and the coasts to protect his throne.

So that is the Biblical event, now for the popular urban legend as also told by the ‘ Grymes Brothers’ and many other sources. Let us start with the name of the architect of Cologne Cathedral, Master Gerhard who lived in the 13th century.

Master Gerhard struck a desperate bargain with the devil to acquire the Cathedrals blueprints and finish the structure in just three years. In exchange, he promised the devil his own soul, as well as those of his wife and child.

As the third year neared its end, the architect’s wife realized the devil was close to completing the build and coming to claim their souls. She devised a plan: just before dawn, she mimicked the sound of a rooster. Hearing the call, all the roosters in Cologne began crowing, tricking the devil into believing morning had already arrived and the church hadn’t been finished. The devil lost the bet and in a furious rage proclaimed: ” Anyone who managed to finish the cathedral’s construction would bring about the end of the world.”

Some say people are continually working on it, so it isn’t completed.

But why did they build Cologne Cathedral? Well there lies another account:

It was built primarily to house the relics of the ‘ Three Wise Men’.

Where did thise relics come from?

The bones were discovered in Persia by Empress Helena ( Mother of Emporer Constantine) in the early 4th Century. She brought them to Constantinople. They were then brought from Milan in Italy by Archbishop Reinald von Dassel to Cologne in 1164. This turned the city into a major European pilgrimage site. A grander, awe-inspiring Cathedral was commissioned in 1248 to accomodate all the visitors and impress them.

Despite construction pausing for over 300 years, the final 19th century completion was heavily driven by the Prussian government, who used the original construction history to foster a sense of unified German national identity.

During World WarII it experienced 70 direct hits but because of its iron roof and deep foundations it was spared collapse.

Cologne Cathedral is an architectural marvel and a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most visited landmark in Germany.

The shrine of ‘ Three kings from the East’ in gold.

Cologne Cathedral as seen from the roof terrace of The Ludwig Museum.

A note from the author. For the story about the architect I saw different accounts and then chose AI. Other facts of which there are so many I didn’t keep track of. Something I would have loved to have seen well was Gerhard Richter’s 11,500 hand blown glass squares in 72 distinct colours all in a modern abstract grid. These make up the contemporary south transept window.

I found the time of day and lighting in the church difficult to take pictures. Hence a post with few photographs.

One of many places from which you can see Cologne Cathedral…

How good to see it on this log!

Take care,

Sandy 🙂