Reliquaries as Architectural Models – Microarchitecture at Aachen Cathedral

Reliquaries in the form of microarchitectures form an important part of the goldsmith's works of art of the Aachen cathedral treasure and at the same time serve as valuable testimonies of past architectural-historical style epochs.

The seminar will address the use of the architectural form for the staged display and storage of the significant relics and at the same time evaluate their function as architectural models. To this end, the outstanding specimens in the collection will be subjected to detailed object description and analysis, as well as documentation using Structure-From-Motion techniques, which will enable the creation of a virtual, three-dimensional model of the object under study. The research directly on the original will then be completed by a literature review and exchange with art historians researching at the cathedral.

The study will take place in groups of one or two, depending on the reliquary chosen. The results of the research will be presented in lectures during the course of the seminar and at the end of the semester they will be recorded in a written as well as a drawing elaboration. This will enable the compilation of a complete catalog of the reliquaries.