Aachen Cathedral Germany

Legendary

One of the oldest cathedrals in Europe, Emperor Charlemagne was buried here in 814.

Photo by Jim Linwood

Charlemagne ordered the construction of his palace chapel in Aachen around 796 AD, and when Pope Leo III consecrated it in 805, it became the grandest building north of the Alps. 

Charlemagne modeled its distinctive octagonal design on the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, importing marble columns directly from Rome and Ravenna to make the point. He wanted his empire to feel like the heir to ancient Rome, and he built accordingly.

When Charlemagne died in 814, he was buried here. His remains were later placed in a golden reliquary that still sits in the cathedral today.

For nearly 600 years, Aachen Cathedral was where power in Europe got official. Between 936 and 1531, thirty Holy Roman Emperors were crowned here, starting with Otto I. Charlemagne's marble throne, plain and unadorned, still sits in the upper chapel where each of them was seated during the ceremony.

In 1978, Aachen Cathedral became the first site in Germany designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

World War II bombing raids struck Aachen heavily, and the cathedral sustained significant damage before Allied forces captured the city in October 1944, the first German city they took. Restoration work continued for years after the war ended.

Climb to the upper gallery to stand next to Charlemagne's throne and look down into the octagonal chapel below. The gold Byzantine mosaics covering the dome ceiling were heavily restored in the 19th century but still dazzle. The treasury next door holds one of the finest collections of medieval religious art in Europe, including the reliquary bust of Charlemagne made in 1349.