WORMS
ROMANESQUE CATHEDRAL
Martin Luther's Diet and the Nibelungen
"What
is the Diet of Worms?" would not be the correct answer
on Jeopardy to bird feeding secrets or bizarre weight
loss programs for 20. In April of 1521, Martin Luther was called by the
Holy
Roman
Emperor (basically the German king) Charles V to appear before the assembly
of the assorted prince-bishops of the imperial states held at the cathedral
in city of Worms (pronounced rather “Varms” than like the
crawly creature) on the Rhine River in the German Rhineland-Palatine
near Mannheim to answer to the Pope Leo X papal bull denouncing the 95
Theses of protestant reforms Luther had nailed to the church doors in
Wittenberg
(see Wittenberg
Church Doors) four years before in 1517. Luther
refused to recant his views and was ordered arrested in the Edict of
Worms. Martin
Luther escaped and hid for a year in the Castle Wartburg in Eisenach
(see Wartburg
Castle and the Devil's Inkwell) where he began his own
translation of the bible, beginning the reformation of Christianity.
The
Cathedral of St Peter at Worms sometimes called the Kaiser Dom (Emperors
Cathedral)
is one of the great examples of German style Romanesque architecture
churches in the cities of the Rhine, which along with Mainz (see Mainz
Cathedral)
and the spires of Speyer, represented on the power of the king and church
in German life.
Constructed
of
the
red
sandstone
common
to most
medieval
buildings
throughout
the area, a bit aged with city grime giving it almost an ominous feel
with four high towers and two large dome towers and a nave at over 100
yards long. An earlier church built by the Worms Bishop Burchard 
had
stood on the spot, but the current cathedral was begun in 1125 and consecrated
in 1181. The Nikolaus Chapel and the choir’s beautiful vaulted
ceiling were constructed in Gothic style in the 14th Century, the elaborate
Baptismal font is from the 15th Century and the ornate gold gilt Baroque
high altar with St Peter and St Paul along with angels designed by Balthasar
Neumann
was added in the 17th Century. The original stained glass windows of
the church were destroyed by allied bombing of the industrial Rhine cites
in 1943. In 1965 new windows were designed by an artist from Mainz, Alois
Plum, and took 30 years to complete. On the north side of the cathedral
is the Kaiserportal, 
the
emperor’s door, where according to the
German epic story of the Nibelungenlied (from whence the Wagner operas
sprung), Kriemhilde and Brunnhilde argued about who could be first through
the door – a dispute which led to the killing of Siegfried. Most
of the stories of the Niebelungenlied – the epic poem based on
ancient German myths of the founding of the world, take place around
Worms which considers itself the Nibelungen City with the Rhine gold
treasure buried somewhere under it. The poem was written by an anonymous
author who obviously lived in or near Worms.
The
Prince Bishops’ rule of Worms ended in 1800. On the church
grounds you can find grottos where the Wormser Princes and Holy Roman
Emperor (Romischer Kaiser) succession is illustrated. The Cathedral at
Worms (Wormser Dom) is still a Catholic parish church, but the protestant
reformation’s
ultimate triumph in German religious life is marked by the massive monument
and statue of Martin Luther about four blocks away. The great reformer
is surrounded by the German princes who converted to Protestantism encompassing
most of the German speaking world and beyond. If visiting the Cathedral
at Worms, also take a short walk St Andrew’s Church, also a fine
Romanesque example, a former abbey college now a city museum with artifacts
of Worms' Roman days. For other Luther sites Worms is just one stop of
the Luther Tour route of 16 cities associated with Martin Luther and
the German reformation. © Bargain
Travel Europe
Where to
stay? For an emperor theme at a protestant budget you can stay at the Romischer
Kaiser Wine Inn or for a more Nibelungen connection near the Cathedral
and the Nibelungen Museum, the Hotel
Kriemhilde.
Find best hotel and vacation deals in
the Rhineland
on TripAdvisor
Web Info
Worms
Tourism
These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.
See Also:
"OUR LADY" FRAUENKIRCHE - DRESDEN
WALKING & CYCLING THE LUTHER ROUTE
ST PETER AND ALEXANDER TREASURY - ASCHAFFENBURG
MARKET CHURCH HALLE - MARTIN LUTHER DEATH MASK
