Businesses and private individuals support the restoration of the Godehard shrine

Hildesheim (bph) Senior doctors at the Hildesheim hospital, the cathedral building association, a number of different businesses and private individuals have donated a total of 120,000 euros towards the renovation of the Godehard shrine at Hildesheim cathedral. On the evening of Friday, 13 January, the donors were able to see the precious mediaeval reliquary for themselves.

The fittings on the Godehard shrine await restoration;; foto: bph

The renovation of the Hildesheim cathedral is a good opportunity to restore the shrine of St Godehard, which once stood in the cathedral crypt. It is also both necessary and urgent, because both the metal fittings and the wooden core are showing signs of severe damage. Before the cathedral reopens in 2014, the restorer and goldsmith Uwe Schuchardt will work on restoring the shrine, including these metal fittings, in the cathedral’s restoration workshop. This will entail removing the old cleaning agents and corrosion products and replacing around 600 rusty iron nails. In addition, the restorer wants to stabilise any worn-out areas of metalwork and areas which have been repaired in the past. The fittings will first be cleaned mechanically or chemically and then reattached to the wooden core.

Various businesses and private individuals have come together to finance this. The donors included a group of senior doctors from the Hildesheim hospital: Prof. Burkhard Wippermann, Prof. Jürgen Tebbenjohanns, Prof. Burkhard Kreft, Dr. Jörg Werhand, Prof. Axel Richter, Prof. Frank Schmitz, Dr. Wolfgang Kauffels, Dr. Manfred Jablonski and one further senior doctor who wishes to remain anonymous. Other donors include the Hildesheim businessman Gustav Lüder, as well as the VDW (Verband der Wohnungswirtschaft in Niedersachsen und Bremen e.V. – the Lower Saxony and Bremen housing industry association), profund.gmbh, and the Landschaftliche Brandkasse Hannover insurance firm. The Hildesheim Hohe Domkirche cathedral building association has also gotten involved, which has brought the total for this great project to 120,000 euros.

Among the reliquary shrines containing work by goldsmiths, the Hildesheim Godehard shrine is one of the oldest and is largely still in its original condition. It harbours the relics of Bishop Godehard, who held the bishopric from 1022 to 1038. The bishop was canonised in 1131, and his veneration soon spread throughout the whole of Europe. The wooden core of the shrine, which featured a complex design by master goldsmiths and which was adorned with numerous precious stones, was probably erected soon after his beatification.

The shrine is 1.22 metres long, 51 centimetres wide and 65 centimetres high. A Latin inscription runs around the lower edge, and there are twelve almost fully three-dimensional carved apostle figures placed along the sides. In 1538, the Godehard shrine was attacked by thieves, who wrenched out the valuable gemstones and damaged the artwork. It was not until 1767 that the cathedral chapter repaired this damage. The whole monument was finally renovated and overhauled in 1971/1972.

During the cathedral restoration, the Godehard shrine was taken to the cathedral museum’s workshop and researched by the art historian Dr. Dorothee Kemper and restorer Uwe Schuchardt.