[gothic-l] Lundina Gothorum- Cathedral

[Bertil Häggman]

Fernando,

Have been busy preparing for a seminar
in Malmoe on the 7th (not far from Lund).
and found your mail on my list of mails to
be answered.

Am referring to archaeological excavations
during the 1940s and 1950s concerning the
dating 1047-1074 but there might well have
been later evidence in modern digs, so if Haakan would
like to elaborate, I think that would be interesting.

The crypt, with Finn, is as far as I understand created
by the first architect Donatus and is from 1123 and it
has been in uses since that. The Lund archbishops are
buried here with magnificent grave monuments. The
foremost is said to be that of Archbishop Birger
Gunnersen created by Adam von Dueren in 1512.

More to come.

Gothically

Bertil

> Thank you for your response as concerns the cathedral of Lundina
> Gothorum.
> Excellent observations and descriptions. The Finn story is superb.
> 
> If I understand the posts correctly- you both state that the present
> cathedral seems to be built over an earlier building dating to about the
> reign of (Knut der Helige- per Hakan) and/or (Svend Estridsen -1047-74
> an English-type church- per Bertil). There seems to be a discrepancy in
> possibly dates/reigns here- any thoughts?
> 
> What is of interest in my opinion, is to which of the building programs
> belongs the Finn columns. The latter is something I have not been able
> to discern from what items are available to me at present. Perhaps one
> of you (or some of the other list members) has something to add
> concerning the latter.
> 
> (IMO) - The story of Finn is of extreme interest since it seems to be a
> statement of how the builders identify themselves. (A great and powerful
> giant) defeated somewhat by chance but whose memory has been kept alive
> in the new "Christian" space. -  The fact that it references the heathen
> origins of that Christian space is significant.
> 
> Chapels in the Pyrenees Mountains of Spain and France preserve in their
> 'capitals' (columns) many carvings which do not seem to be Christian
> religious allegories, in fact, the latter seemingly show some aspects of
> Nordic Mythology. I am presently involved in researching the latter.
> Thus, my interest in the Lund Cathedral.
> 
> There are many items which are certainly of great interest as concerns
> Lund. One such may be the (partitioning of spaces). As I have already
> stated in a prior post the partitioning of spaces is generally agreed
> (by scholars) to be a distinctive characteristic of Visigothic
> construction (esp. chapels) in Spain. Interestingly, according to Gerard
> de Sede there is a consistent relationship of the spaces, number of
> columns in the nave, number of columns in the transept and crypt in
> which he believes is evident an underlying connection to the numbers of
> gods and numerology of the old Nordic pantheon. I know this seems far
> fetched, there have been a plethora of individuals that have implicated
> all kinds of connections to all sorts of ridiculous things, but then
> again, the Greeks were heavily influenced by the Golden Section << 1.813
> >> which can be seen in most of their architectural programs, e.g.. the
> Parthenon etc.... If De Sede's proposition bears out it may have
> interesting implications.
> 
> Of interest also is Adam van Düren's inscription, which, from what
> information I have seems to be runic like; Am I to understand Van
> Düren's inscription was made during the period of (1513-27). I have
> taken the liberty of sending a graphic of same. There are supposedly
> many other masons marks some apparently thought to be exclusively runic.
> Supposedly, a double othal can be seen on one of the altar's lintels.
> Obviously, it is well known that mason's marks often appear to have
> runic like elements. I think that the latter is, (most times), accounted
> for by the fact that the nature of the material being incised, (stone)
> lends itself to those types of incisions; I wonder though how far one
> can take such explanations when technology was available to make curved
> lines as is evident here. Perhaps a matter of conserving "time"?



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