Mysterious dead in Cologne Cathedral The Three Wise Men lie in this valuable gold shrine
On January 6, the shrine of the Three Wise Men will be opened in Cologne Cathedral. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The shrine of the Three Wise Men is the most precious known to have been made in the Middle Ages. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The opening of the shrine of the Three Wise Men attracts many believers every year. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
On January 6, the shrine of the Three Wise Men will be opened in Cologne Cathedral. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The shrine of the Three Wise Men is the most precious known to have been made in the Middle Ages. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The opening of the shrine of the Three Wise Men attracts many believers every year. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Mysterious dead bodies are kept in Cologne Cathedral. They came to the city as spoils of war in the Middle Ages. You can always catch a glimpse of them on January 6.
06.01.2025, 20:54
dpa
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- On January 6, the world's 1.4 billion Catholics celebrate one of their highest feasts: Epiphany.
- And according to tradition, these royals from the Middle East lie in a gold shrine in Cologne on the Rhine.
- Cologne Cathedral was even built especially for these kings.
- The shriveled skulls of Kaspar, Melchior and Balthasar can be viewed behind a grille - this is supposedly the kings' names.
Every year on January 6, Cologne Cathedral pulls out all the stops. Then the tower rumbles like it usually only does at Christmas and Easter. The really big bells ring and there is incense until you drop. Because on this day, the world's 1.4 billion Catholics celebrate one of their highest feasts: the Three Wise Men. And according to tradition, these royals from the Middle East are in Cologne on the Rhine.
An entire cathedral just for a few bones
Cologne Cathedral was even built especially for these kings. In the Middle Ages, their relics - their mortal remains - exerted such a fascination that Cologne became the largest place of pilgrimage after Rome and Santiago de Compostela. Even today, the magic has not completely disappeared.
The gold shrine in which the bones of the Magi are kept is the largest and most valuable ever made in the Middle Ages. It is opened for a week on January 6 and attracts many believers. Behind a grille, they can see the shrivelled skulls of Kaspar, Melchior and Balthasar - the kings' supposed names.
On the road with camel and elephant
For some staunch Catholics, this is an uplifting sight, for others perhaps rather creepy. Some people probably prefer the kings as part of nativity scenes: Decked out in magnificent crowns, turbans and exotic robes, they are accompanied by camels and sometimes even elephants. The kings and their magnificent entourage are often the real eye-catchers. They steal the show from Mary and Joseph.
But what do we actually know about them? They are not actually saints, because they were never canonized by the Pope. The fact that they were three is only derived from the fact that they are said to have brought three gifts to the baby Jesus: Gold, frankincense and myrrh.
They were probably not kings either: This term has only been used since the 5th century - presumably because it is prophesied in the Old Testament that the Messiah would be given gifts by kings. And according to Christian belief, this Messiah is Jesus. So - according to the common view at the time - it would be good if the prophecy was fulfilled. A bit of trickery, you could say.
It all started with a publicity tour
The kings only appear in one place in the Bible. The evangelist Matthew mentions them. However, he does not refer to them as "kings", but as "magoi" - magi from the East.
So how did the bones end up in Cologne of all places? In the Middle Ages, Cologne was the largest city in the German-speaking world. The powerful Archbishop of Cologne and Archchancellor Rainald von Dassel brought the bones from Milan to Cologne in 1164 as spoils of war.
They had not caused much of a stir in Italy until then, but Rainald made repeated stops on his long journey to Cologne and celebrated church services - this increased the kings' popularity enormously. It was a kind of publicity tour, and this proved to be hugely beneficial for Cologne, as countless pilgrims now flocked to the city and spent money there. For centuries, the Three Wise Men were a huge economic factor for the trading metropolis.
Are they actually real?
Of course, the question of how old the bones are is interesting. They have never been scientifically examined, but the fabrics in which they are wrapped have. The result: they are Syrian damask, purple and silk from the 2nd or 3rd century AD. In other words, from antiquity, even if not from the time of Jesus.
But that is ultimately not so important, says the Catholic Church today. As with a work of art, what matters is what people see in it.
One aspect makes the kings relevant to this day: Even in the Middle Ages, they were assigned to the three continents known at the time: Europe, Asia and Africa. They thus represent all the people of the world. In a city like Cologne, where people from over 180 nations with more than 150 different religions live together, this fits in rather well.