| |  | | | | Detail of print of the Holy Robe pilgrimage in 1655 |  |
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On the occasion of the Holy Robe pilgrimage in 1655, the engraver Johan Eckhard Löffler published a large-format sheet showing a detailed picture of the exhibition of Cathedral relics on Cathedral Square.
By the 14th century at the latest, pilgrimages had become a mass phenomenon. In the Early and High Middle Ages, the throngs of pilgrims were led to the graves of the saints in the church interiors (grave of the Apostle Matthias) or through the crypts of the churches (Saint Maximin, Saint Paulin).
Because the hosts of pilgrims were so large in the 14th to the 16th century, it was no longer possible to lead them through the churches. So that relics could be exhibited to more pilgrims, in Aachen and in neighboring Korneliemünster, in Maastrict, Holland – but in St. Matthias as well – relics were shown from a raised position on the façade of the church, with the pilgrims gathered on the squares in front of the churches.
After the Holy Robe had been exhibited in Trier for the first time in 1512, around 100,000 people came to view the relic within less than a week. In the following year, a wooden stand was erected on the west apse of the Cathedral to exhibit the Holy Robe, but the staff of St. Peter and other relics of theTrier Cathedral Treasury as well. The copper engraving from 1655 shows the construction built on the wooden beams in great detail. It is covered with fine drapery; a beautiful carpet hangs from the banister.
Two Cathedral vicars present the Holy Robe attached to a wooden panel. On the right, the powerfully eloquent Cathedral preacher, the Jesuit priest Cornelius Luttinghausen, explains the idea of the relic exhibition to the pilgrims. Next to him, a Cathedral canon stands holding a cross reliquary and the Holy Nail. On the left, Archbishop Carl Casper von der Leyen (1652 to 1676) grants absolution to the pilgrims. Several men with torches stand behind the clergy.
A closely packed throng of people fills Cathedral Square. Besides townspeople, St. James pilgrims and clergy of different orders can be recognized. A barrier guarded by Electoral and municipal soldiers prevents the pilgrims from storming the Cathedral.
Author: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schmid
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