Saint Andrew's Portable Altar
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Through gifts by the Empress Helena, Trier Cathedral possessed not only significant relics of Christ but also from two Apostles, Saint Peter’s staff (in the Limburg, Germany, Cathedral Treasury today), two links in Saint Peter’s chain and the sole of a sandal of the Apostle Saint Andrew.
Archbishop Egbert (977 to 993) held the saint in especially high esteem. The Archbishop had a chapel dedicated to St. Andrew built on the north side of the Cathedral, in which the Archbishop also wished to be buried.
The Trier goldsmith was to combine two classical types of sacred object with each other: a reliquary, more exactly a “speaking” reliquary, and a portable altar. The goldsmith fulfilled the first task by creating a richly ornamented rectangular oak case on which an life-like model of the Apostle’s foot covered with chased gold was fixed to the lid. It demonstrates that the sole of one of the Apostle’s sandals is kept in the shrine. The sandal straps covered with precious stones emphasize this message.
In addition, the goldsmith was to create a portable altar, one which could be carried as did emperors, kings, and bishops when they traveled and which could be used to have mass read when they were at home.
A small millefiori (a thousand flowers) plate on the top of the Saint Andrew’s Portable Altar indicates this function. The inscription surrounding the glass plate states that the altar is dedicated to Saint Andrew. Rings on the feet shaped like lions and ones on the top probably permitted the portable altar to be hung or carried in processions. In addition, the sliding lid could be opened, so that the individual relics could be exhibited.
The ornaments on the four sides make the immense material expense and artistic endeavor quite evident: ivory plates are attached to both long sides, on which the symbols of the Evangelists as well as lions are fixed. These plates are in turn surrounded by bands composed of enamel platelets, gemstones, and pearls. The two ends are even more elaborately ornamented: on the one end are two Saint Andrew’s crosses made of pearls; on the other end is a medallion surrounded by pearls and pieces of red garnet. A gold coin with the portrait of Emperor Justinian I adorns the center.
Within art history, the Saint Andrew’s Portable Altar is a masterpiece of goldsmith artistry from the Romanesque era; it employs practically all the artistic techniques known in the 10th century. Moreover, it is a compendium of the story of salvation, as it awakens associations with the Arc of the Covenant and emphasizes the unity of the four Gospels in Christ. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of the Trier Church with its great age and its Apostolic succession. And, finally, it preserves the name of its initiator, Archbishop Egbert, whom his successors were to commemorate when they celebrated mass with the portable altar or when they visited the Saint Andrew’s chapel.
Author: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schmid