The Aachen Cathedral

The Aachen Cathedral was constructed in 795 by 

Charlemagne in Aachen as you might have already guessed. It was designed after cathedrals in Constantinople and Ravenna to the point that it actually used columns taken from one in Ravenna. The mimicry might have just been because it’s a good way to build a cathedral it also might have been Charlemagne trying to tie himself to Constantine and other Roman emperors to cement his authority as an emperor. In my opinion of the ways you can demonstrate authority building a giant beautiful church that endures for more than a thousand years is a pretty good one. The Cathedral ended up outliving Charlemagne and his empire after his son died his grandchildren divided it up into three kingdoms. The middle of the three kingdoms became the Holy Roman Empire which used Charlemagne's throne in the Cathedral to coronate their kings. Charlemagne actually wasn’t coronated in Aachen however he was coronated in Rome by the Pope.

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The Cathedral was added onto throughout the Middle Ages a gothic choir and a series of other chapels were added but the original is still recognizable because of it's more distinctive style. There used to be a mosaic of Christ Enthroned with the Elders of the Apocalypse around him the current mosaic was put up in 1880. The Cathedral Treasury is one of the most important ones in Europe it contains the Cross of Lothar from about the 1000s AD a reliquary bust of Charlemagne and a marble sarcophagus that used to contain his body.

References

Centre, U. W. (n.d.). Aachen Cathedral. Retrieved September 15, 2017, from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/3

Bekker, H. (2017, March 10). See the Throne of Charlemagne (Karlsthron) in Aachen Cathedral. Retrieved September 15, 2017, from https://www.european-traveler.com/germany/see-throne-shrine-charlemagne-aachen-cathedral/

E.V., D. Z. (2017, September 04). Retrieved September 15, 2017, from http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/unesco-world-heritage/gallery-aachen-cathedral.html