The Stained-Glass Windows of the Basilica of St Cunibert in Cologne

Following up on yesterday’s post about the basilica of St Cunibert in Cologne, Germany, here is a detailed examination of its stained-glass windows, which have managed to survive all the many vicissitudes of the church’s history, most notably, the frequent bombardment of the city during the Second World War. (Cologne, a major industrial and transport center, was bombed so many times that the list of aerial attacks has its own separate Wikipedia page.)

The apse is dominated by three large windows: in the center, the life of Christ; to the left, the life of Pope St Clement I, to whom the church was originally dedicated; to the right, the life of St Kunibert, the bishop of Cologne (ca. 623-63) who founded the church, and to whom it is now also dedicated. These date from the time of the current building’s first construction, 1220-30.

The central window is a Jesse tree; Jesse appears at the bottom, with the ancestors of Christ to either side of a series of episodes of His life that run up the middle, while the prophets are depicted in the marginal panels. In ascending order, we see Jesse, the Annunciation, the birth of Christ, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, Christ in majesty.

Jesse (at bottom) and the Annunciation

The birth of Christ.

The Resurrection.

Christ in Majesty

The window of the life of St Clement.

St Clement is baptized by the Apostle Peter.

Pope Clement is condemned to exile by the Emperor Trajan, and sent by ship to the shore of the Crimean peninsula, where the Romans have a penal mining colony.

As the workers are being worked to death and suffering for lack of water, Clement by his prayers makes water run out of a nearby cliff, on which he see the Lamb of God, from under whose foot a stream comes forth. (These episodes from his legend appear in the antiphons of the proper Office for his feast day.)

Clement is therefore sentenced to death by being thrown into the sea; traditionally, it is said that this was done after an anchor had been hung around his neck, but this is not shown here.
 

Angels then build a church under the sea over his body; the legend goes on to say that every year, the sea would part as the Red Sea did for Moses, and the Christians would walk through the water down to visit the church and pray before Clement’s relics.

The St Cunibert window

Cunibert is said to have been a page in the court of the Merovingian King Dagobert; he is here shown attending the king by keeping watch at his bed as he sleeps.

Cunibert departs from the court.

He is made a bishop.

A dove appears to Cunibert as he celebrates Mass in order to reveal to him the location of the grave of hometown favorite St Ursula. (In reality, the putative graves of St Ursula and her companions were discovered in the mid-12th century.) 

The funeral of St Cunibert and the taking up of his soul to heaven.

In the lower part of the apse are stained-glass windows of St Ursula...

Cordula, one of her companions

Catherine of Alexandria

and St John the Baptist.

The Virgin in Child in one of the smaller apses.