SOCIAL /POLITICAL

On the explicit instructions of Charlemagne, his son Louis the Pious crowned
himself king in the chapel. Between the coronation of Otto I in 936 and 1531,
thirty German kings were crowned in the chapel. The coronation itself occurred
at the High Altar, followed by the enthronement on the Aachen Throne of
Charlemagne . It is also notable that in this period, all German rulers, regardless
of whether they were crowned in Aachen or not, took their position on
Charlemagne's throne.

RELIGOUS
The chandelier was a donation in honour of Mary, Mother of God, the patroness of
Aachen Cathedral and simultaneously represented a tribute to the builder of the
cathedral, Charlemagne.The circle of the wheel chandelier symbolises the city wall of
the New Jerusalem. The stylised city wall of the chandelier contains eight large and
eight small gate towers, which are arranged symmetrically.The base panels of the
towers have been preserved and can be seen from below, on which scenes from the Life
of Jesus are engraved, particularly the eight beatitudes from the Sermon of the Mount.
GEOLOGY
The octagon in the centre of the Cathedral was erected as the chapel of the Palace of
Aachen between 796 and 805 on the model of other contemporary Byzantine buildings The
interior walls were initially lined with a marble facade. The round arched openings in the upper
floor in the side walls of the octagon, between the columns, in front of a mezzanine, are
decorated with a metre-high railing of Carolingian bronze rails. These bronze rails were cast
1200 years ago in a single piece according to Roman models.The exterior walls of the
Carolingian octagon, made of quarry stone, is
largely unjointed and lacks further ornamentation.
 foundry was brought to Aachen near the end of the 8th century and was utilized to cast multiple bronze pieces, from
doors and the railings.

HISTORICAL
Charlemagne began the construction of the Palatine Chapel around 796, along with the building of the rest of the palace
structures. The construction is credited to Odo of Metz. The exact date of completion is unclear; however, a letter
from Alcuin, in 798, states that it was nearing completion, and in 805, Leo III consecrated the finished chapel. A
CLIMATIC

Thus the Romanesque ideal of equilibrium between vertical and horizontal lines is applied to
the Gothic structure. In this return to a structural harmony of contrasting elements the regular
flow of light plays an important part. Low aisle windows and high clerestory windows create a
mystical interplay of light and darkness in the Gothic basilica, while the unbroken and even
flow of light gives the hall-church an open, almost worldly character.
GEOGRAPHY

Constructed on the site of an earlier, smaller house of worship dating from the 780s and
790s, the Palatine Chapel was consecrated in 805 to serve as the imperial church. .The
palace was located at the north of the current city of Aachen, today in the German Land of North
Rhine-Westphalia. Most of the Carolingian palace was built in the 790s but the works went on until
Charlemagne's death in 814. The plans, drawn by Odo of Metz, were part with the programme of
renovation of the kingdom decided by the ruler. Today much of the palace is destroyed, but the
Palatine Chapel has been preserved and is considered as a masterpiece of Carolingian
architecture and a characteristic example of architecture from the Carolingian Renaissance.