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Bernward Column

The Bernward Column, also known as the Christ Column, is an elaborately worked bronze column made around 1020 for the Church of St. Michael in Hildesheim, Germany. Commissioned by Bernward, the thirteenth bishop of Hildesheim, it is regarded as a masterpiece of Ottonian art. Its spiral reliefs show scenes from the life of Jesus, modeled on Trajan’s Column, and it was originally topped by a cross or crucifix. The column was later moved to a courtyard and then to Hildesheim Cathedral. During the cathedral restoration from 2010 to 2014, it was returned to its original location at St. Michael before being placed back in the cathedral in 2014.

Bernward Column with a spiral band of relief scenes running up the shaft
The Bernward Column is shown with its continuous spiral reliefs depicting scenes around the shaft.
© · CC BY-SA 2.5
The Bernward Column shown as a tall spiral-relief column on a stepped square base with an inscription panel.
The Bernward Column with its continuous spiral relief and multi-tiered base.
© Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
Bernward Column with a spiral band of figural reliefs around the shaft and a decorated capital at the top.
The Bernward Column shown with its continuous spiral reliefs and ornate capital.
January 2020 © Original creator (printer) unknown; scanned print from Europeana (providing institution: Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Reconstruction of the top of the Bernward Column showing a crucifixion scene above an inscribed base and spiraling relief shaft
Reconstruction of the upper section of the Bernward Column with the crucifixion scene at the top.
May 2015 © Gallistl/Carpiceci · CC BY-SA 4.0
Horse-drawn covered vehicle moving through a street with several people and buildings in the background.
A black-and-white street scene showing a horse-drawn transport in front of buildings.
June 1942 © Bistumsarchiv Hildesheim, Nachlaß Sendker · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

NameBernward Column
TypeFree-standing bronze column with relief bands
Other namesChrist Column; Christ Column (German: Christussäule, Bernwardssäule); Christussäule; Bernwardssäule; Colonna di Bernoardo

Historical context

Datecirca 1020
Artistic styleOttonian art; early Romanesque

Creator

PatronBernward, 13th Bishop of Hildesheim
AttributionBelieved to have been made personally by Saint Bernward

Discovery and provenance

Commissioned forChurch of St. Michael, Hildesheim, Germany
Original locationSt. Michael's Church (Church of Saint Michael, Michaeliskirche), Hildesheim, Germany, in the east choir under the triumphal arch behind the altar
Original settingA triumphal cross on top, an altar in front, and a wheel chandelier above; the arrangement was modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the forehall of Solomon's Temple
Current locationHildesheim Cathedral, Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany
Location historyMoved to the cathedral square in 1810; transferred into Hildesheim Cathedral in 1893; returned to St. Michael's from 30 September 2009 to August 2014 during cathedral restoration; now back in Hildesheim Cathedral
Relocation and preservation historySaved from planned destruction in 1723, 1760, and 1810; conserved in 1871; evacuated in 1942 for wartime storage and survived the destruction of the cathedral in 1945
InspirationTrajan's Column; also the Column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome

Physical characteristics

Original top elementA triumphal cross / crucifixion group on a capital
CapitalOriginal capital lost; later replaced by a wooden imitation and then by a bronze capital in 1871; original appearance uncertain, though figural decoration is indicated by a 1730 engraving
Relief zone heightAbout 45 cm each
Original heightMore than 6 m; about 2.5 m taller than today
Diameter58 cm
Height379 cm

Materials

MaterialBronze

Technique

Manufacturing techniqueLost-wax casting

Appearance

FormAscending spiral frieze; spiral arrangement similar to Trajan's Column

Iconography and meaning

Subject matterScenes from the life of Jesus, beginning with the Baptism in the Jordan and ending with the Entry into Jerusalem
Specific emphasisChrist as a model of just and pious kingship; the execution of John the Baptist by King Herod Antipas is given unusual prominence
Symbolic contextPart of Bernward's artistic and architectural program to present Hildesheim as a 'Northern Rome' and reflect a renewed Christian Roman Empire under the Ottonian dynasty

Location and ownership

Associated worksComplements the Bernward Doors in Hildesheim Cathedral

Significance

Art historical significanceConsidered a masterpiece of Ottonian art
Historical importanceThe earliest known representation of a biblical narrative in sculpture; the earliest free-standing bronze sculpture in Western Europe
World Heritage significancePart of the ensemble of artworks whose outstanding importance contributed to UNESCO World Heritage status for Hildesheim

Other

Associated personsBernward of Hildesheim; Otto III; Anton Blum; Friedrich Küsthardt; Hermann Deckert