It is one of the most ancient and most remarkable of the cathedrals on the banks of the Rhine.
GENERAL
VIEW
of BONN
[{221}] The effect of its five towers is that of a great pyramid rising skyward from a broad base.
In the main, it is a construction of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, but it is known beyond doubt that the choir and the crypt were built in 1157. To-day there are visible no traces of even the foundations of the primitive church.
There are two polygonal apsides, more noticeable from without than within.[{222}]
The main portal, or the most elaborate at least, is that of the north façade.
The interior is not as sombre and sad as is often the case with a very early church. To enter, one ascends eight steps to the pavement, when the rather shallow vista of the nave and choir opens out broadly.
There are a series of white marble statues representing the birth and baptism of Christ, and some paintings of notable merit, including an "Adoration."