Palatine Chapel, Palatine chapel in Aachen, Germany.
The Palatine Chapel is an octagonal building in Aachen with a large dome supported by marble columns and a double-shell structure rising from the main floor. An upper gallery encircles the central space, creating a distinctive spatial arrangement that draws the eye upward.
Construction of this chapel began in 792 under Charlemagne as part of his palace complex in Aachen. Pope Leo III consecrated it in 805, symbolically connecting the Frankish realm to Rome.
The chapel served as the coronation site for German kings and Holy Roman Emperors, shaping medieval European understanding of authority and succession. Visitors sense this historical weight when entering the space where generations of rulers gathered for their most important ceremonies.
Access to the chapel is through the adjoining Aachen Cathedral, making it practical to visit both sites together. The interior is relatively compact, but climbing to the upper gallery offers a better perspective of the dome and ceiling details.
The chapel contains a sixteenth-century marble throne and a twelfth-century chandelier commissioned by Frederick I. These two objects span different eras, showing how the building remained significant across centuries.
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