The next stop on our Rose Tour of Hildesheim was St. Michael's church. This church was built by a Bishop named Bernward in the 11th century. The Emperor Otto III presented Bernward with a splinter of the Cross of Christ. Bernward wanted to build a church to hold the sacred relic and so he founded a monastery and erected St. Michael’s Church. It was completed in about 1031. Bernward is interred in the crypt today. What I thought was interesting is that after the reformation, St. Michael’s became a Lutheran church but the monastery and the crypt remained catholic and are still used by the catholic church today. It was destroyed in an air raid in WWII on March 22, 1945. But it was rebuilt in 1950. In 1985, it became one of Hildesheims’s two UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.
It is not a gothic style church like so many churches in Europe. It felt much different inside as a result. It was built in the Ottonic (Early Romanesque) style. Which means, it was built in a cross shape with large pillars and small windows. But one of the most amazing parts about this church is the beautiful wooden painted ceiling. It was done in the first half of the 13th century. It shows the genealogical tree of Christ. The main panels show: Adam and Eve, Jesse, King David, Solomon, Ezekial and Joshua, and lastly Mary and Christ on a throne. The side rectangle panels depict prophets and the small circle paintings depict Jesus’ ancestors.
Ainsley was curious about the sarcophagus' in the church. So I tried to explain what a coffin was and why it was in the church. Then I tried to tell her about the resurrection. Big mistake...I should have just told her they were statues. She kept asking "Why?" questions. "Why is his body in there?, Why does he need it? Why did he die?" She left feeling pretty confused and she informed me she didn't want to die or be resurrected one day. Oops, I better do better than just "Sunday School" answers next time.
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