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Bernward Doors

Bernward Doors are the two bronze leaves of a single doorway inside the western massif of Hildesheim Cathedral in Lower Saxony. Precisely dated by a dedicatory inscription to 1015, they are celebrated for their rich facing relief scenes from Genesis and the Passion. They are regarded as one of the oldest image cycles in German art and a masterpiece of Ottonian art, linking Carolingian art with 11th-century Romanesque art. The doors take their name from Bishop Bernward of Hildesheim, who commissioned them for the abbey church of Saint Michael in Hildesheim. His successor, Godehard, had them moved in 1035 to St. Mary’s Cathedral, where they remain today.

Bernward Doors with tall bronze relief panels showing multiple narrative scenes and lion-head knockers.
The Bernward Doors at Hildesheim Cathedral, with their detailed bronze relief panels and lion-head knockers.
May 2010 © Bischöfliche Pressestelle Hildesheim (bph) · Attribution
Bernward Doors with bronze relief panels and animal-head door knockers in a stone archway.
The Bernward Doors display detailed relief scenes on their bronze panels, with large animal-head knockers set into the double door.
· Public domain
Bernward Doors bronze double door covered with relief panels and lion-head knockers
The Bernward Doors shown as a weathered bronze double door with narrative relief panels and lion-head knockers.
July 2017 © José Luiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bronze relief panel from the Bernward Doors showing several figures, a seated crowned ruler, stylized buildings, and a small dragon-like creature.
A detailed bronze relief panel from the Bernward Doors, with figures arranged around a crowned seated ruler and architectural forms.
1015 © Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
Bernward Doors relief of a bearded man carrying a sheaf of grain
A close-up of a relief on the Bernward Doors showing a bearded man carrying a large sheaf of grain.
1015 © Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain

Identification

TitleBernward Doors
Typetwo-leaf bronze doors
Alternative namesBernwardtür; Bernwards Tür; Bernwardstür

Historical context

Datearound 1015; the date is recorded in a Latin inscription and serves as a terminus ante quem for manufacture
Historical contextmade in the context of Bishop Bernward of Hildesheim’s artistic program and the Ottonian renovatio imperii

Creator

Commissioned byBishop Bernward of Hildesheim
Named afterBishop Bernward of Hildesheim

Discovery and provenance

Original destinationthe Church of Saint Michael in Hildesheim, according to one hypothesis; another hypothesis says they were intended for Hildesheim Cathedral from the beginning
Original locationunknown; proposed original settings include the south aisle of Saint Michael, the cloister, a lost westbau, or Hildesheim Cathedral
Relocationmoved to Hildesheim Cathedral in 1035 by Bishop Godehard, according to one tradition/hypothesis

Location and ownership

Current locationwest portal of Hildesheim Cathedral, Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany
Current displayreinstalled in the east closing wall of the west paradise; the leaves now stand self-supporting and can be opened only on ceremonial occasions using the historic bronze pivots

History and restoration

Restorationduring the 2010–2014 cathedral restoration, the doors were repositioned from the western exterior wall back to their former installation area
Wartime protectionevacuated about three years before the bombing of Hildesheim on 22 March 1945, stored with other artworks in an underground passage at Kehrwiederwall, and survived the war there

Physical characteristics

Weightabout 1.85 tonnes each
Structureeach door leaf was cast in one piece
Thicknessabout 3.5–4.5 cm
Dimensions472.0 × 125.0 cm (left leaf); 472.0 × 114.5 cm (right leaf)

Materials

Materialbronze; a rotguss alloy (copper with lead, tin, and zinc) according to material analysis

Technique

Casting techniquelost-wax casting
Manufacturing methodthe figural scenes were modeled on wax or tallow panels and assembled in an iron frame
Surface treatmentflat punchwork relief with rectangular panels framed by narrow moldings

Appearance

Iconographybiblical relief scenes from Genesis and the life, birth, and Passion of Jesus Christ, arranged in corresponding scenes on the two leaves
Motifstrees with meandering almost leafless branches, birds including eagles, architectural motifs, angels, and the Hand of God
Figure stylecarefully modeled figures with strongly linear drapery; upper parts project beyond the surface to create greater depth

Iconography and meaning

Interpretationthe cycle contrasts the fall of humankind with the victory over sin through Christ’s saving sacrifice for humanity
Possible medieval interpretationpossibly a porta salutis, the door to salvation

Significance

Art-historical statusconsidered a masterpiece of Ottonian art and one of its main works
Art-historical significanceregarded as one of the earliest image cycles in German art; also described as the first image cycle in German sculpture and the oldest known monumental image cycle in German sculpture
Art-historical relationshipbridges Carolingian art and 11th-century Romanesque art
Comparative contextrelated to Mainz Cathedral doors, Italian bronze doors such as those of San Zeno in Verona, Monreale Cathedral, and Pisa Cathedral, and Carolingian miniature painting from Tours

Other

Associated workChrist Column
Related patronage contextpart of Bishop Bernward’s effort to raise the cultural standing of his episcopal city within the Ottonian political world
Inscriptionsa Latin inscription on the crossbar names 1015 and states that Bernward had the doors made for his memorial in front of the angelic temple