OUR LADY OF AIX LA CHAPELLE

 Day 37: June 16

Charlemagne began the construction of the Palatine Chapel around 792, along with the building of the rest of the palace structures. It was consecrated in 805 by Pope Leo III in honor of the Virgin Mary. The building is a centrally planned, domed chapel. The east end had a square apse, and was originally flanked by two Basilican structures, now lost but known through archaeology. The chapel was entered through a monumental atrium, to the west. The plan and decoration of the building combines elements of Classical, Byzantine and Pre-Romanesque, and opulent materials as the expression of a new royal house, ruled by Charlemagne.

The antique bronze doors of Our Lady of Aix la Chapelle are surmounted by regal lion heads, and they date from the time of Charlemagne. The short pillars of what is called the nave support an octagon shaped cupola of 50 feet in diameter. They date from the 12th and 13th centuries, and were brought from Rome for that purpose. These pillars were intentionally damaged by the atheistic proponents of the French Revolution, though they were thankfully restored in the year 1845.

The elegant Choir of Our Lady of Aix la Chapelle is filled with marvelous stained glass windows. This was a later addition to the church, completed in 1413, and is done in a completely separate style. One of the chapels of the cathedral has immeasurable treasures for the Christian world, as Charlemagne took pride in securing for the cathedral as many important relics from the Holy Land and Rome as he could. This pious practice was continued by his successors and it explains why the cathedral is so treasured by the Christian world.

In fact, the church of Our Lady of Aix la Chapelle holds innumerable precious offerings, including the four so-called great relics that are locked in a shrine that was given to the church by Frederick Barbarossa in the 12th century. These relics are the cloak of the Blessed Virgin, the swaddling clothes of the Infant Jesus, the loin cloth worn by Our Lord on the Cross, and the cloth on which lay the head of Saint John the Baptist following his beheading. These are exhibited only once in every seven years, and attract vast crowds of pilgrims.

Among the numerous smaller relics are a part of the true Cross, the cord which bound Our Lord, the sponge that was used to offer Our Lord gall during the crucifixion, and the girdle of both Christ and the Blessed Virgin. All are preserved in richly ornamented chests. Other treasures exhibited include the skull, heart, and gigantic arm bones of Charlemagne, and the cross he wore around his neck in the tomb. Judging by his bones, Charlemagne was a man of astonishing size, which was matched by his equally amazing intellect.

St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"The presence of Mary is loved, felt and enjoyed, in proportion to the commitment that every soul and every community puts into their sanctification and that of souls; it may well be a telltale sign and measure of our zeal."

(Opera Omnia, Vol. I, no. 353, quoted in: Louis Caputo, Justinian Anthology, Palisades Park, Vocationist Editions, 2013, p. 71)

Prayer to Our Lady

O most holy Virgin

who didst find favor in God’s sight

and hast become His Mother;

O Virgin, immaculate in body and soul,

in thy faith and in thy love,

look down with pity on the wretched

who in our need seek thy powerful protection.

The evil serpent on whom was cast the primal curse continues,

alas, to attack and ensnare the poor children of Eve.

But thou, our Blessed Mother, our Queen and our Advocate,

thou who from the first instant of thy conception

didst crush the head of this cruel enemy,

receive our prayers.

United to thee with one heart,

we beseech thee to present them before the throne of God.

May we never be caught in the snares around us,

but rather may we all reach the harbor of salvation.

Despite the awesome perils which threaten,

may God’s Church and all Christian society sing out once again

the hymn of deliverance, of victory and of peace.

Amen.

(St Pope Pius X)