For centuries, Aachen Cathedral (episcopal church of the dio..

For centuries, Aachen Cathedral (episcopal church of the diocese of Aachen, foundation stone laid in 795, consecration in 803) was the coronation site of German kings and emperors - today it is considered a landmark of the city and its cathedral treasury houses one of the most important ecclesiastical treasuries north of the Alps.

The cathedral building saga is a very popular story and tells of the construction of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen, the oldest part of today's Aachen Cathedral, by Charlemagne. Charles wanted only the best materials to be used for the cathedral. When he left for a long war, he instructed the city council to complete the building by the time he returned. Due to the costs of the war, the city council soon ran out of money, construction came to a standstill and the craftsmen left. In their plight, the councillors made a pact with the devil and promised him the first soul to enter the church once the building was completed in exchange for further funding of the cathedral construction[1].
Although the devil's pact was supposed to be kept secret, word got around and nobody wanted to be the first to enter the completed church. A monk asked for advice explained to the councillors that they had promised the devil a soul, but not a human soul, so it could also be an animal soul. The councillors then had a wolf caught and driven into the church. The devil tore the wolf's soul out of his body and only then realised that he had been cheated. Enraged, he slammed the door so hard as he left the church that it was cracked. He also jammed his thumb on one of the door pulls when slamming the door. Check it out. You can still feel the thumb in the right-hand door pull! And the crack in the door is clearly visible. Who knows, who knows .... Maybe something is right after all! And: I know the cathedral very well even at night - from the inside, mind you! 😉 😘 Kisses 😘