It might be the churches.
Too many of them - in a town that is allowed to call itself city, because they counted (very generously) more than 100 000 inhabitants.
Hildesheim is a Catholic diaspora. In Mainz, where I studied, I became aquainted with Catholicism in the form of "laissez faire" (we call it: To let five be an even number) - Hans' aunt Maria, for example, surprised me by saying laughingly: "Who often goes on a pilgrimage will seldom become sacred" (that in the matchless dialect of Mainz). And I, coming from the Evangelic Church of Bremen, indulged in the sheer sensuality of Catholicism in Bavaria: gold and jewels in abundance, Saints for every wish and woe, relics and baroque splendour and frankincense.
Hildesheim has a strange form of Catholicism, Puritan almost - stern, rigorous, austere.
But the churches are beautiful.
Take St. Godehard - the Basilica, which belongs to the biggest buildings in the Romanesque style of Northern Germany, stands on a little hill near the island where our house is.
Godehard was Bishop of Hildesheim from 1022 to 1038 - an art-lover, church-builder and adherent of the reform of Cluny. On June 16, 1133 A.D., Bishop Bernhard laid the foundation-stone of the St.Godehard Church.
I will spare you the many 'Strokes of Fate' - and prefer showing you some pictures of this really beautiful church: the lucidity of its architecture, the structural abundance of the column capitals and the cube and scaly friezes.
The more than life-sized figure of St. Godehard is from 1450. The huge wheel chandelier over the altar was a present of Mary, the last Queen of Hanover, 1864.
By the way: the Basilica is more idyllic than you might have thought from the first glance above:
And the vicarage always reminds me of Jane Austen:
As you know, I take wisdom and solace from where I can find it - so maybe the lighting of a candle and for sure all the good wishes and prayers from friends have helped:
we are very grateful that Hans, being an athletical man, recovers so well that maybe he might leave the Rehab center on coming Friday - and be finally in our flat in Berlin.
12 comments:
I'm so glad to hear that your husband will be able to come home in such good time. His original good health and the skill of the doctors and medical staff - and perhaps some prayers - whatever - it has all come together for a good result.
We went to mass in a church in Hildesheim about 7 years ago. It was quite lovely. I'd have to look back in my diary to recall which one - perhaps that very one.
Dear Pondside,
thank you! Yes - the doctors and the medical staff shall not be forgotten - thanks to them too.
You are always surprising me: by the wisdom and beauty of your blog, and now with the news that you have been in Hildesheim! In my next post I will show the other two important churches.
I have not been to Hildesheim, but saw wonderful churches in Bavaria.
The interior of this church looks beautiful and the wheel chandelier is stunning.
So glad to hear your husband is recovering ahead of time.
Penny x
What a good news! Really glad to hear that your husband is getting well very fast!
I enjoyed a lot reading this post. The city with many lovely old churches sounds fantastic. This church has class, beauty, and solemnity. It would be stunningly beautiful when the candles on the huge wheel chandelier are all lit!! Are they lit on Christmas?
'Saints for every wish and woe'
Oh, Britta. So elegantly phrased. I am rolling it around on my tongue over and over admiring your taffy way with words.
I am overjoyed to hear about your husband. I am also going to light a candle for you. I believe in the act, the ritual, the manifestation of unseen, invisible faith and hope and expectation.
My heart is knit with yours, always, beautiful woman.
Such wonderful news about Hans! Speaking of too many churches, one of the places we visited while in England was Norwich, which seems to has, some say, a church for every Sunday and a pub for every day. (Sorry for being such a poor correspondent. This will probably continue for a while, as I am in the process of figuring out my plans going forward, online and off. I will be thinking of you and Hans, even if I don't write as often for a bit.)
Thanks for letting me know the church tradition at your place. here in my pace, we follow the Roman Catholicism with its Syrian Liturgy variant (Translated into our native tongue, even though the prayers were in Syriac till 1950s)
And the pix were really beautiful..
Dear Penny,
thank you! Bavarian churches are often splendid - I love the tiny ones with the onion-domed spires - so cute!
Dear Sapphire,
thank you! This church is especially beautiful for its simplicity. I have to confess, that I only know the Christmas crib they have, because we went always to the Dome. But I know that they can let the chandelier down - so hopefully they lit them.
Dear Suze,
thank you! I almost blush reading so much praise - but of course I like it. I told Hans of your candle, and he appreciated it very much and says thank you to you.
Dear Susan,
thank you! So you have been in Norwich too! I often repeated Julia of Norwich's words: “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well” the last weeks... Take all the time you need and write when you are ready - I know you are there, that counts.
Dear Tomz,
thank you! It would be interesting to hear your Liturgy. Maybe I find it in the Internet. The Catholics in Germany read mass in Latin till 1969, I think. That has a very special atmosphere, though most people would not understand it.
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