Die Goldene Altartafel

The Golden Altar Frontal from the Basel Cathedral Treasury

Publishing house: Basel Historical Museum
Publication year: 2019
Language: German, French, English
Format: Book, softcover, 72 pages, 27.0 x 27.0 x 0.6 cm
ISBN: 978-3-9525193-0-1

Trilingual publication about the Golden Altar Frontal from the Basel Cathedral Treasury.

Basel Cathedral was consecrated on 11 October 1019 in the presence of Emperor Henry II (r. 1002–1024). The Golden Altar Frontal that the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II gifted to Basel Cathedral, presumably at its consecration, together with the «Cross of Henry» (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kunstgewerbemuseum) formed the core of the Basel Cathedral Treasury. For over 500 years, the Golden Altar Frontal displayed on all the high feast days must have turned the high altar of Basel Cathedral into a gleaming jewel.