Hezilo chandelier
| Hezilo chandelier | |
|---|---|
The Heziloleuchter above the Hildesheim Cathedral altar in the crossing, in 2009, before the renovation of the cathedral
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| Year | Eleventh century |
| Type | Romanesque art |
| Medium | Gilt copper |
| Dimensions | 600 cm (240 in) |
| Location | Hildesheim, Germany |
| 52°08′56″N 9°56′47″E / 52.1489°N 9.9464°ECoordinates: 52°08′56″N 9°56′47″E / 52.1489°N 9.9464°E | |
The Hezilo chandelier (German: Heziloleuchter) is an 11th-century Romanesque wheel chandelier. It is part of the treasures of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany, which has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site since 1985. The chandelier was most likely commissioned by Bishop Hezilo of Hildesheim, who rebuilt the cathedral after a fire. He probably also influenced the program of imagery and inscriptions. It is the largest of four extant wheel chandeliers of the period; the others surviving examples are the Azelin chandelier (also in Hildesheim), the Barbarossa chandelier in the Aachen Cathedral, and the Hartwig chandelier in the Abbey of Comburg.
During the restoration of the cathedral (from 2010 to 2014), the chandelier was installed in St. Godehard, a basilica since 1963 and the temporary bishop's seat. After the restoration of the cathedral, reopened on 15 August 2014, it was returned to its original location in the cathedral's nave.
The Hezilo chandelier is composed of a circular hoop which is 6 metres (20 ft) in diameter. The hoop is made of gilt copper and bears Latin inscriptions on the upper and lower edges. Between the inscriptions are three horizontal bands, with the middle band bulging outwards, which are richly decorated with openwork foliage. There are square merlons on top of the hoop holding seventy-two candles.
Twelve towers and twelve gate-houses alternate along the outside of the hoop. The layout of the towers is a Greek cross with four apses (alternately rounded with domed roofs and square with pitched roofs) and a doorway. The upper parts of the towers have a narrower form, extending above the candles on the hoop and topped with large balls. Small statues or lamps probably originally stood inside these towers.
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